Kagome's Pain
by MKC4
Summary: Kagome's feelings for Inuyasha will be revealed, but Naraku has cast a horrible spell on her. Will she get through this? Kagome's in real trouble! Ive updated for chapter 23 After... OMG nearly 4 years. Is this worth it!Read and Review! PleaseIK&SM Pair
1. She's Near

Kagome's Pain

_**Kagome's Pain**_

**Chapter 1**: She's Near

Darkness. It was to dark to see anything on that dreadful night, but Kagome new that she was near by. She could barely sense her, but Kagome new that Kikyo was heading this way. She wished that she hadn't noticed the soul carriers and wished that Kikyo would just leave her alone.

_Why,_ she thought to herself, _Why is she here? What does she want this time?_ Kagome couldn't stand it any longer. She got up out of her sleeping bag, careful not to wake Shippo. As she started to sneak off, she felt a clawed hand on her shoulder. She nearly screamed, but then she heard Inuyasha's voice.

"I assume you noticed Kikyo as well," he whispered.

"What are you talking about," she answered nervously. _Busted!_

"I know you're want to find out why she's here," Inuyasha began, " But you know she hates you."

" I know," Kagome said with a sigh. She was hoping to speak with Kikyo and solve the whole problem once and for all. She didn't want to come between Inuyasha and Kikyo, so she figured that if she and Kikyo got to know each other, things would work out.

By this time, Sango had woken up and was listening to the conversation.

"Do you think things will ever work out between the two of you," Kagome asked as she walked towards her sleeping bag.

"I don't know, Kagome," Inuyasha replied sleepily, "all I do know is that at this rate it never will."

With this in mind Kagome drifted to sleep, hoping that Kikyo would be gone in the morning. Sango watched as Inuyasha sat by Kagome, looking at her dreamily. He then went back to his tree to rest and Sango too, fell asleep.

* * *

Okay! I decided to look back and was shocked at all of the horrible writing errors I made back then lol. I actuall have the free time now, so I thought I'd get back to work on this story, starting with slight corrections made to older chapters, like this one, that was originally written back in middle school. I won't make any major corrections because I'm a lazy bum and all, but at least this way I won't cringe when I look back on this. Lol.


	2. Where Is He?

Kagome's Pain

_**Kagome's Pain**_

**Chapter 2**: Where Is He

It's morning. Kagome was awoken by none other than Shippo, who was very hungry.

" Kagome, Wake up! I'm hungry," Shippo nagged.

" Okay. Okay. I'm up." Kagome said with a yawn. She got up and started on breakfast. The smell of warmed bread and soup filled the air waking Sango and Miroku. Inuyasha was nowhere to be seen! _Oh no_, Kagome thought to herself. _Where could he be? Wait!_ She remembered sensing Kikyo the night before. _Oh! He didn't! Don't tell me he went to see Kikyo!_ A very worried look appeared on her face.

Sango was the first to notice. " Kagome? Is there something wrong?" Kagome didn't hear her. " Kagome?" Still no answer… It was as if she was in a trance. This worried Shippo and Miroku as well.

_This isn't good_, thought Shippo. _Kagome's acting really weird! And where is Inuyasha? Why did he leave? _

Sango asked, " Kikyo's near by, isn't she?"

Kagome was shocked. "How…"

" I overheard your conversation with Inuyasha last night. You think he went to see her, don't you?"

"Is this true," asked Miroku curiously.

Kagome was silent. She didn't know what to tell them. " Well…Yes..."

"I'll finish the food," Sango said reassuringly. "You go and find Inuyasha."

"Thanks," Kagome said with a small smile on her face. She picked up her bow and arrows and left.

* * *

"What's the matter, Inuyasha," Kikyo said evilly. "Why is it that you don't seem happy to see me?"

Inuyasha was glaring at the women before him. "Tell me Kikyo," he said, sounding irritated. "What do you have against Kagome anyway?"

"She's a trouble maker, Inuyasha. She is the only thing that is keeping me from succeed in my plans."

"What are those plans?"

"You will find out soon enough."

* * *

Kagome was still trying to find out where Inuyasha was. She could slightly sense Kikyo and was sure that she was heading in the right direction. Suddenly, she sensed two jewel shards behind her. She felt a hand on her shoulder and almost screamed.

"Hey Kagome! Long time no see!" It was Koga.

Kagome sighed with relief. "Hi Koga. It's been a while," she said, trying to look cheerful.

Her fake smile didn't fool Koga for a second. He bombarded her with questions. "What's wrong? Why are you out here alone? Where's that mutt- face Inuyasha?"

Kagome, trying to find the best answer, replied, " Nothings wrong, I'm just trying to find out where Inuyasha ran off to."

"So he left you alone out here?"

"No. The others are back at the camp. I have a pretty good idea of where he is though."

They continued walking. Koga was making sure not to move to far ahead. _I knew I couldn't trust that mutt! I tell him to protect my woman and he just abandons her!_

"Kagome."

"Yes?"

"You don't really-"

He was cut off. They saw the blue light and the mass of soul carriers.

"What are those?" Koga gasped.

"Kikyo's demons."

"Who's Kikyo?"

"It's a long story…"

* * *

Okay, this was rather easy to fix.


	3. Caught Again

Kagome's Pain

_**Kagome's Pain**_

**Chapter 3**: Caught Again

" Tell me what you have planned Kikyo," Inuyasha was becoming frustrated.

"As I said," Kikyo said with an evil smirk on her face, " You will find out soon enough"

"Kikyo! Tell me now! I have to know what you plan to do so I can be sure of what the out come will be"

"Fine. I'll tell you. My powers are nearly complete. The only reason I have my powers now is because I still posses a piece of the girls soul." Kikyo's smirk became worse when she saw Inuyasha's surprised reaction. "The piece is an extra that isn't really necessary to live. That's why she didn't notice and why she still can't use the purifying touch. This piece of the soul is what sustains that ability. The reason that I've been trying to kill her is to collect the rest of the soul, completing my powers. Then and only then will I be able to destroy Narauku."

Inuyasha was in awe. He knew that Kikyo's plans were connected to Kagome's death but didn't think that the only reason was for power. "Can't the two of you just work together and combine your strengths?" He asked, hoping that the priestess would understand. He was wrong.

"Me?! Work with that wretched girl! You must be out of your mind!" Kikyo seemed to be infuriated with his suggestion.

* * *

"So that's what happened," Koga said with astonishment.

"Yes. It is a sad story isn't it," Kagome replied. _Inuyasha is gonna kill me for telling Koga all of this!_ "Now, Kikyo is usually trying to kill me for some reason. I guess she hates me because I spend so much time with Inuyasha. I guess she's just jealous or something." Kagome sighed heavily and started to feel rather depressed. "I never want to come between the two of them, but, somehow, I did anyway."

Koga noticed her saddening voice and decided that he should try and comfort her. "Don't worry about it Kagome. I'm sure things would turn out just fine. I have just one question though."

"Yes?"

"Why do you seem to care so much about those two? I mean... Why in should you be so depressed about it when you said yourself you don't want to get caught this mess?"

Kagome began to blush. She didn't know how she would answer him. _It's because I ...well... wait ...WHY DO I GET DEPRESSED AND WORRY SO MUCH ABOUT IT?!_ "Uhhh... Well... I..." Kagome just grew even more red out of both embarrassment and frustration with not knowing why.

Koga, realizing this, decided to change the subject. " Hey. Something smells good." He was sniffed the air.

"Oh," Kagome said snapping out of her embarrassed look. "That must be the food back at camp. You can go over for something to eat, if you want."

"I don't want to be a bother..."

"Oh it's nothing. Go ahead."

"Well... Okay. You convinced me. You coming?"

"No, it's okay. I think I'll keep looking for Inuyasha."

"Well I wouldn't want to leave you out here alone."

"Don't worry. I can take care of myself." She raised her bow and showed her arrows. "I have my own way of fighting and if I get in trouble I'll just give a scream. I'm sure that you'd hear me. Now, go ahead."

"Well... Okay. But be careful, Kagome." With that Koga ran off towards the camp.

Kagome went off towards where Kikyo's demons were gathered and wished she hadn't when she saw Inuyasha standing there. Though she wanted to turn around, something told her to stay. She reluctantly decided to follow the voice in her head and hid behind a nearby tree, hoping that Inuyasha wouldn't pick up her scent.

"I just don't agree with your methods Kikyo," Inuyasha said, starting to calm down. "I don't see why you have to kill Kagome to do this. It seems to me you're strong enough already. Besides, I don't think I'd be able to forgive my self if something happened to her. I just -"

"Inuyasha!" Kikyo practically yelled. He stopped in his sentence. Kagome was especially surprised. What are they talking about? What about killing me? She wondered. What's Kikyo doing?

Kikyo walked up to Inuyahsa with a very sad look in her eyes. Inuyasha just froze.

"Does that wretched little girl mean more to you than I do?" Kikyo asked with what seemed to be her saddest voice. "Do you not remember the relationship we had before this whole mess?" Before anyone knew what was happening, Kikyo had placed a soft kiss on Inuyasha's lips. Kagome gasped and wanted to cry and run away but she couldn't move and tears just wouldn't come.

_Why am I getting so upset?_ She thought, _It's not like I was in love with him or anything, right?_ She sighed. _What am I doing here? I shouldn't be watching them like this!_ She took one last look at them. Inuyahsa had begun to return the kiss and had his arms wrapped around Kikyo's waist. _Why do I bother? They're perfect for each other. They're meant for each other._ With a heavy sigh Kagome turned to go back towards the campsite.

* * *

The kiss ended and Kikyo walked away. Her soul carriers surrounded her and she disappeared into the sky. Suddenly, he picked up Kagome's scent. _Oh no!_ He thought, knowing that she had seen him with Kikyo. _She'll never forgive me for this one._


	4. Going Home

Disclaimer: Now I don't know much about this disclaimer thing, which just goes to tell you that I don't own Inuyasha

Disclaimer: Now I don't know much about this disclaimer thing, which just goes to tell you that I don't own Inuyasha. Also, I haven't gotten any reviews yet and I'm thinking of taking this story elsewhere. If you ad reviews then maybe I'll feel somewhat appreciated and add more.

_**Kagome's Pain**_

**Chapter 4**: Going Home

Kagome walked into the camp. "Hey Kagome," Shippo yelled out, "How'd the search go? Did you find Inuyasha? Koga just left towards the den."

Kagome kept silent. She packed away her sleeping bag and sat with a sigh. She seemed so sad. _'What's wrong with me,'_ she thought. _'Why am I so upset? This just doesn't seem right. Why should I care anyway?' _

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice her friends huddled in a group. "Something is definitely wrong," Sango whispered.

"She seems to be sad and I have a pretty good idea of why." Miroku inquired.

"I'll bet that Inuyasha got caught with Kikyo again. I aught to give him a piece of my mind!" Shippo said angrily.

Kagome thought of what she saw between Inuyasha and Kikyo, and wondered why she cared so much. _'It can't be that I'm jealous or anything like that, right? It's not like he's my boyfriend or anything like that'._ She began to blush at her thoughts, but shook her head at it. _'Snap out of it Kagome! Of course he's not my boyfriend. There's no way that I could be in love with him, right? This is getting too complicated.'_

"Kagome!"

"Huh! What?!"

It was Sango. " What's wrong? You haven't said a word since you came back."

"Uh ...Well..." _'I've got to stop coming short of answers.'_

"Tell us Kagome!" Now, Shippo was getting worried. "Are you okay?"

"What's wrong?!" All three were on her case now. Even Kirara gave a small roar of frustration in Kagome's silence.

"Uhhh...Uhhhh" Kagome had become very nervous.

"Well?" All three said in unison. "Out with it!"

"I... I just can't tell you right now."

"Why not?"

Uhh... Well ... I just can't." Kagome sighed heavily. "Sango? Can I borrow Kirara, please?"

"Hm? What for?" Sango asked, although she already knew why.

"I..." Kagome was still nervous. "I just need some time alone, to think. I'll be back in a few days. I promise."

Sango sighed, "Okay, Kagome. But remember. You promised to be back in a few, that's three, days. If we're still out I'll send Kirara back for you."

"Thank you, I'll be back in three days." Kagome said. The sad sound has started to come back to her voice. She got on Kirara's back and was off.

Later, Inuyasha came to the camp. Everyone was giving him a dirty look, made him very nervous. _'Did they find out already?'_ He thought. _'I might as well deal with the yelling now.'_ He stood there waiting for them to start.

Miroku was the first to say something. "Inuyasha? You were with Kiyo, am I right?"

" Uh... Well ... Yes" He answered nervously.

"And Kagome saw you?" Sango added.

"Yes." Inuyasha's voice was filled with shame. "She saw us."

Shippo had already heard enough. He started screaming at Inuyasha with all of his fury and rage. "Inuyasha! How could you do such a thing?! I mean, you ALWAYS complain when she gets friendly with Koga, and then you go off with KIKYO! Don't you care at all about how Kagome feels?! Now, because of you selfishness, Kagome has gone home AGAIN!"

Inuyasha ignored Shippo's ranting and sat down to think if there was a way to get Kagome to come back. Then, one thing that Shippo said had caught his attention.

"Luckily, Kagome promised to come back in three days. But I don't know why she bothers!" Sippo hollered

_'Back in three days, huh? Is he sure that she didn't mean three months?' _

All right! I know this isn't the best story in the world, but I never was a good storyteller anyway. But, if you people would give advice through the reviews, I might be able to make it more interesting


	5. Talk

Disclaimer: I'm sorry it took so long to update

Disclaimer: I'm sorry it took so long to update. I had a science project on atoms and elements. Mr. Eaton hardly teaches us the stuff! So why bother giving the assignment! Sometimes I wonder if he enjoys giving out F's.

_**Kagome's Pain**_

**Chapter** **5**: Talk

Sometimes. All you need to do is, talk to someone.

" Thanks for the ride, Kirara." Kagome had just gotten off of Kirara's back at the well. Kirara gave a small roar as she flew off back towards the camp. Kagome jumped into the well and was soon back in her time. "I'm glad I set a rope ladder up on this side," She said under her breath as she climbed out. She walked out of the well house and towards her house. " I'm home!" She called. "Mom? Sota? Grandpa? Where is everyone?" 'Strange, She thought. _'I don't even see Buoyo around. Oh well. I no that lazy cat will show up once he's hungry.'_ She went into the kitchen for some lunch, and saw a note on the table. It was from her mom, written just this morning:

Dear Kagome,

We all went to visit our cousins in America for the next couple of weeks. I'm sorry we couldn't wait for you, but it was urgent. Your aunt Carol just died the other day and we had to leave as soon as possible. We'll be calling as soon as we reach Nebraska. There is plenty of food for you to choose from in the refrigerator.

Have fun,  
Mom

Kagome sighed. _'Well… At least I get some time alone.'_ She grabbed a bag of potato chips and sat down to watch a little TV as she ate. The phone rang and she picked up the wireless. "Hello. Higurashi residence."

"Hello. May I speak to Kagome, please" Kagome recognized the voice right away.

"Hi, Eri!"

"Kagome! I'm so glad I got through to you! You've missed a lot at school. How'd the Cancer tests go? Is your arthritis getting any better? And what about that sprained ankle?"

Kagome sighed. _'Couldn't Gramps say that I just had a fever or something?'_ "Everything seems to be alright. Don't worry, Eri." Kagome was relived that her friend decided to drop the subject. "Now, what did I miss at school?"

"You're not going to believe this! You know that seventh grade girl that's been following Hojo around lately, right?"

"Yes. You and the others have been complaining because I wasn't bothered by it. What about her?"

"Well.Ayumi saw her with Hojo at the movies the other day!"

"Really?"

"Why are you so calm?! She's stealing him away from you!"

"He was never mine from the start, so why should I care?" Kagome shouldn't have said that.

"Whaaat?! Kagome! You and Hojo are perfect for each other. He's a very kind person and he treats you with respect! Don't tell me you're still in love with that rude, selfish jerk you told us about."

_'I'm beginning to regret ever telling them about Inuyasha.'_ Kagome was becoming quite agitated. _'I came home to relax. I don't feel like thinking about Inuyasha right now. All that'll do is make me depressed.'_ "Look!" she said sternly. " I am NOT in love with him or anyone else!" She felt the sad tint in her voice returning. "The only reasons I've ever agreed on those dates were because either I had no excuse to say no, or you and the others decided for me!"

" Kagome… I… You should be thanking me! Hojo is a nice person and he treats you with the respect you deserve! That other guy may seem like fun now, but, if you stay around him, you could get seriously hurt! A guy like him wouldn't care what happened to you. He could use you as a scapegoat,or something, and you'll end up in jail! Or worse!! How do you know he isn't letting you stay around him so he could get away with other things?"

Kagome had tears streaming down her face, although, she had no idea why. She screamed into the phone. "He's not like that! You don't know a thing about what he's really like, what he's been through or what he's done for me, so DON"T talk about him that way!" She didn't hold back the sorrow in her voice. She couldn't. Her eyes began to burn from all of her tears. ' Did I really just say that?

Eri was shocked. _'So she DOES love him.'_ "Okay" She said in a hurt voice. "Tell me. What IS he like? What has he done for you? Why do you care so much? Tell me everything, Kagome."

" Well," Kagome said in a small voice. " It's a long story, but I'll put it as short as possible."

"I'm listening."

" It all started when he was just a little boy. He lived in a small…town, very far from here." _'I'll have to be careful of what I say.'_ "His father was very different in his looks. He was feared because of this so he stayed away from people to avoid trouble. My friend had his father's looks, and was ridiculed for it. No one really liked or trusted him or his parents. They considered them to be trouble. He was teased and put to blame when something weird or bad happened. Eventually, the people of the city became tired of his existence and tried to kill him."

Eri gasped. "Just because he was different?"

" Yes. They succeeded in killing his parents and were able to dispose of all evidence. Knowing that no one would believe his story, he ran away. He kept away from all people for years. No one trusted him, and he trusted no one. When he was older, he fell in love with a girl in a town not far from here. They got along well, but then, a man who was jealous of the relationship broke their trust and tore them apart, killing the girl… He was alone again."

"The poor guy! To spend his entire life alone like that, he must have been devastated."

"Well… that's the worst of his situation, other than the fact that even his own older brother hates him. He has gained quite the attitude from it all. When I first met him, he kept throwing fits of rage, but I was able to calm him down. He's a lot nicer now then he was then. There are times when he's a real jerk, but overall he's a really nice guy to be with. He's always helping me when I get sick, or hurt." _' And when I'm being attacked, kidnapped, and such… He IS always helping me…'_

" I still can't believe how much he lost throughout his life. I feel sorry for him."

"Yes. It is a sad story. That's why I care so much. He kinda has no one else to look to."

'_Geez… I'm kinda making it sound like a charity case or something.'_

" I'm glad I got the full story. He means a lot to you doesn't he."

"More than you could ever imagine"

* * *

"Inuyasha!"

"Shut up! I already know what you're gonna say and the answer is NO!"

"But you have to apologize to her, or she may never come back!" Shippo was becoming very irritated with Inuyasha's attitude. The three days have passed. And Kagome hasn't returned.

"If you apologize then maybe we can work this whole thing out." Miroku had decided to join the conversation. "You've obviously upset her deeply. She's probably sitting at home right now, hoping that you will come soon."

"The letch is right." Sango wanted to get her share in. "You may not have noticed, but Kagome cares about you, A LOT. You should just see her when you're hurt. The whole time that you're unconscious, she never leaves your side. If she does go, it's for more medicine and bandages." _'I think now is as good as any time to tell him.'_ Sango noticed Inuyasha's guilty face. " You know. Now it may be just my opinion, but she may even love you, Inuyasha."

"What? How could she love him when he treats her so badly?" Shippo had become rather peeved.

" I don't know why, but she cares so much, it must be love. I'd bet she's just afraid to admit it." Miroku had wanted to say that, but didn't know how the others would react. Now that Sango had brought it up, he intended to have his say on it. "She must be afraid of rejection. She doesn't want to admit her love to anyone, not even herself. If she does she'll have to face the situation with Kikyo. With the way things have gone so far, she must be sure that you'd chose Kikyo over her. I don't think she would be able to handle that kind of heartbreak. Inuyasha, you must choose one of them. Which one is the one you truly love. Is it Kikyo or Kagome?"

Inuyasha sighed. _'I can't believe I'm about to say this.'_ " To tell you the truth. I'm beginning to wonder whether I ever truly loved Kikyo. I believe that we just reached out to each other out of loneliness."

"What do you mean?"

* * *

So what do you think. Long wasn't it. You better had liked it. It took me at least four hours to organize. Then, another hour and a half to type! Please Review!


	6. What next?

Kagome's Pain Disclaimer: Hi! Hola! Kon'nichiwa! And all of that other stuff! I don't own Inuyasha. (That I know of) What does it mean to own Inuyasha. If it means to have every episode, shown so far, recorded on tape, I'm there. What can I say? I'm a big fan.  
  
Chapter 6: What's next  
  
" What!" Inuyasha was getting annoyed. He could understand Shippo not understanding what he meant, but Sango and, especially Miroku must be playing stupid or something.  
  
" We're pretty sure we know what you meant," Sango said calmly. " We just want to here you say it yourself."  
  
Inuyasha sighed. "Alright. What I meant was. that Kikyo and I probably were never in love. We just had similarities. Both of us were lonely and could trust no one. We just reached out to each other out of loneliness." Inuyasha felt a bit better after saying it out loud, but he wasn't planning on showing it, so he added his usual 'charm`. " There! You happy now! I said it!" His voice was very harsh.  
  
Shippo was getting bored with the conversation, but he was happy that Inuyasha admitted something. He decided he should leave, so he went to draw pictures at Kaede's hut.  
  
" Well.." Miroku said, giving Inuyasha his usual all knowing look.  
  
" Well what?" Inuyasha had a strange feeling about what he was about to ask. ' Uh oh. `  
  
" Does that mean you choose Kagome over Kikyo? You tell us. It's not like we'll go around telling everyone."  
  
" Uhhh. weelll.."  
  
"Come on Inuyasha." Sango said smiling at him. " We would really appreciate knowing."  
  
" Uhhh. you see. it's. I ." Inuyasha was backed against a tree.  
  
" Tell us!" both said rather annoyed.  
  
Suddenly, Inuyasha picked up Koga's scent. He was half happy for that because it gave him a good excuse for not answering his friends' question. 'Just perfect,` he thought, but then he remembered how much they hate each other and knew that this wasn't going to end well.  
  
There was a huge, gusted whirl of wind. " Hey, Mutt!" Koga's voice was a little lower than usual. " Where's Kagome?"  
  
"None of your business!" Inuyasha was already irritated with the wolf, and he only said four words!  
  
Koga looked at the half demon before him with a scowl. Then he looked to his human companions. " Well, will you tell me where she is?"  
  
" She went home a few days ago." Sango said abruptly. "She would've been back by now if it were not for a certain-"  
  
Miroku covered her mouth to shut her up. He whispered in her ear so the two others wouldn't here. "Watch it, Sango! If you tell him what happened, there will be an all out war!" While Sango thought about this, he turned to Koga and finished her sentence. " -If it were not for a certain. accident."  
  
Koga raised an eyebrow. "Accident?"  
  
" Uh yeah. Her mother was hurt in a little incident and she has decided to stay with her until she's well again." Miroku's voice was uncertain, too uncertain.  
  
" You're lying." Koga said, his voice devoid of feeling. " Tell me what really happened. I know that mutt over there did something wrong."  
  
Inuyasha was pretty peeved by now. " Feh. How would you know?"  
  
" Because I saw her looking for you a few nights before. She sad you most likely were with someone by the name of Kikyo. I have to admit, she looked rather sad." Inuyasha stood silent for a minute. Koga sighed. "Forget it! I'll go and find her myself. Where does she live?"  
  
"No way, Wolf! Even if you did know where she lived, you wouldn't be able to get to her." Inuyasha wouldn't want him to go to her right now.  
  
" Oh? And why not?"  
  
" She's from the future! Her home is on the other side of a portal! She and I are the only one's who are able to get through!"  
  
"Then go get her!"  
  
" No way! She'd practically bite my head off if she caught me over there."  
  
Koga gave a big sigh. " This is pointless. I'll be back later on." With that he ran off towards his home. Inuyasha sighed and walked towards the well. He hoped that, maybe, she'd forgive him. The forgotten monk and demon exterminator stood there.  
  
Miroku sighed. "That was close."  
  
"Mmmmphkmmmm"  
  
"Huh? Oh! Oops! Sorry Sango" He took his hand away from her mouth. She was going to slap him. He was sure of it. Then he realized that he still had his other arm wrapped around her, so that her arms were stuck to her sides.  
  
" Ya mind letting go, Miroku." The irritated woman said.  
  
"Uh. Right" He let go. WHAM! A fist blew him in the back of his head!  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Kagome felt horrible. Not just physically, but.well. yeah. just physically. She was a wreck! " I don't know this could get any worse," she said, with a sneeze, pretty much to herself, although she was looking at her cat, Buoyo. " I have a temperature of one hundred, I can't stop sneezing. AH! AH! AH- CHOO! . And I have a huge exam coming up! At this rate, there's no way that I'll be able to get a passing grade!" She gave a huge sigh. " This is hopeless." She was too sick to think straight, so she couldn't really do her homework. She was so bored! All of her friends are at school and there was nothing good on the television. Her family is still in America. She has no one to talk to except her cat, and she would be pretty desperate to talk to Buoyo about something. Well. She was desperate. " Buoyo? What are we gonna do?"  
  
Buoyo just stared at her annoyingly. 'Yup! I'm talkin' to a cat. That settles it. I am officially losing it. ` She continued any way. (A/N: O_O;; Where did I pick up the idea of a conversation with a cat?!) " Maybe I should go back to see the others tomorrow, if I'm feeling better."  
  
She went down to the kitchen for some lunch. She took some ramen noodles out and set them on the table, while she searched for a pot. She put the pot of water on the stove and thought she saw a flash of red and silver at the window. 'Just great, ` she thought crossly. She went to make sure the door was properly locked and went back to her business. The water had come to a boil and she added the noodles and seasoning.  
  
" I hope there's some for me in there."  
  
" Eeeeek"  
  
" Surprised you didn't I?"  
  
Kagome laughed weakly, forgetting that she was angry with him.  
  
" If you're going to keep someone out, remember to lock your bedroom window as well."  
  
-_-;; "I'll put some ramen on for you too, Inuyasha"  
  
" Thanks. Do you."  
  
" Huh?"  
  
" Does your calm attitude mean that you forgive me for the little thing with Kikyo?" Inuyasha's ears went flat, expecting for him to be sat.  
  
Kagome sighed. " It's okay, Inuyasha, I'm pretty much over it."  
  
"Great," he said with relief. The ramen was ready and Inuyasha scarfed his share down quickly. Kagome just took a few bites of hers. " What's wrong, Kagome? Aren't you hungry?"  
  
I guess I just lost my appetite." She said. She sounded so tired. "I think I'll go to my room. You can stay down here and watch TV if you want." She got up and walked towards the stairs and Inuyasha followed. As she reached the fifth step, she suddenly felt very dizzy and fell back. Inuyasha saw her just in time to run up and catch her. 'What's happening? ` was all that she could think. She could here Inuyasha's voice, but had no idea what he was saying. Her vision blurred into darkness.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Well, What do you think? It kinda sucks, but oh well! It's my story! Deal with it! What should I have happen next? Why don't you people give me an opinion or two? I'd really appreciate it. ^.^ 


	7. Sick

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Before I move on I would like to thank those who gave me reviews. Being that I'm a novice I think I did rather well. Thank you one and all for the great reviews! ^.^  
  
Kagome's Pain  
  
Chapter 7: Sick  
  
" Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled, as he stopped her from falling down the stairs. ' What's going on? Why did she just pass out like this? ` He was starting to panic. He felt her forehead and noticed how warm she was. He then noticed something strange in her scent, but it was rather unfamiliar. He at least knew that she was very sick and he took her to her room. He laid Kagome on her bed and went searching for a cloth and some cold water.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
It was dark. Kagome was alone, and she couldn't see a thing! She walked a bit trying to get an idea of where she was. "Where am I?" She said to herself in a whisper. "Why is it so dark?" She heard a small voice.  
  
"Kagome."  
  
"Who's there?" she gasped.  
  
"Kagome." Now there were two voices! Kagome was getting very nervous.  
  
"Hello?" She said shakily. "Who are you? What do you want from me?"  
  
" Kagome. Kagome. Kagome." There were at least ten different voices calling her name. To make it worse, they were getting louder and began to jumble.  
  
"What?" She began to panic. "Wait! One at a time! What do you want?!"  
  
The voices only got louder and louder. She could only make out a few words. " He's coming!" is what stood out in the crowd of noises.  
  
" Who's coming? If you'd just say things one at a time I'd be able to understand you!" The voices just became more jumbled and even louder. Kagome covered her ears, the voices becoming torturous. She couldn't take it any more. " Shut up!" She yelled with all of her might.  
  
Everything went silent. She uncovered her ears and looked around. She was alone once again. No voices. No noises. Nothing. Suddenly, she heard a laugh. Her eyes went wide as she recognized the voice. " Naraku." She said, barely above a whisper. He then appeared in front of her.  
  
" I see your having some trouble." He said coolly, walking closer to her.  
  
"Wha- what do you want?" Kagome took a few steps back.  
  
"Don't worry. I have no intentions of killing you at the moment." He said as he walked even closer. His eyes glowed a dark red, and Kagome froze. She couldn't move. She just stood there looking at him with pure terror in her eyes. Her body began to glow the same shade of red as his eyes.  
  
" What are.... you doing?" She was horrified. She was trapped. 'Where's Inuyasha?' She thought frantically. 'Why hasn't he come or anything like that?'  
  
" Inuyasha is not coming" Naraku said, reading her mind. " Don't be such a fool."  
  
The glow became more intense, and Kagome screamed in pain.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Inuyasha came into the room with a bowl of cold water, along with a piece of cloth. He sat on the edge of Kagome's bed and put the wet cloth on her forehead. She began to stir, but she didn't awaken. "Wha. Who." She began to groan with pain and annoyance.  
  
" Kagome" Inuyasha said worriedly. ' I wonder what she could be dreaming about' She gave an even louder groan and gritted her teeth in pain. She, suddenly, began to glow a faint, dark red glow. " What the... What's happening to her" Inuyasha began to panic.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
"Stop it!" Kagome yelled in agony.  
  
"Why should I?" Naraku said mockingly. "I'm rather enjoying this." Suddenly, Kagome's anger flared. She stood up, ignoring the pain she was in and her eyes began to glow with her pure energy. " What?! How are you able to stand?" This surprised Naraku, and he was beginning to feel weak from that. This enraged him. He intensified his power on her and she screamed out even louder. She wouldn't fall though. She kept standing. Naraku smirked. "I see that you've grown stronger. If your powers keep growing, I might have a bit of a challenge." His smirk widened to an evil grin. "That could be fun. I'll leave you for now."  
  
"What are you talking about?!" Kagome said as the pain she had recently felt disappeared. The red glow was still there, along with the glow of her energy, still in her eyes.  
  
"You will find out soon enough." Naraku laughed and left the seen.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Inuyasha was holding Kagome's hand and trying to wake her up. The faint glow was still there and he didn't know what to do. " Kagome." he said rather loudly, with a little fear hinted in his voice.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Kagome stood there in the darkness, the red glow still surrounding her body. Suddenly she felt dizzy and she noticed the red glow had gone a bright shade of blue. She could hear Inuyasha's voice calling her name. 'What? What's happening to me? Is what Naraku said about my powers true?' That was her last thought until she was jolted awake by Inuyasha, who was gently shaking her.  
  
" Kagome! Are you alright?"  
  
" I... I'm not really all that sure."  
  
"What happened?" He asked, now relieved that she was at least awake. Kagome began to tell him about her dream.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Hey! I'm starting the next chapter already! But I'm not sure what I should have happen! I decided that, since you are the ones reading it, I'd let you decide. Give me some ideas through either e-mail, or reviews. Thanks in advance! ^.^ 


	8. Uh Oh

Before I go on with my story, I'd like to thank Sakura Li Samurai, and Demon Angel

Before I go on with my story, I'd like to thank Sakura Li Samurai, and Demon Angel. You were the only ones who reviewed my story for the past couple of weeks! Oh and thanks for the great tips for my story, Demon Angel. I'll be sure to use them.

Disclaimer: Me: --;; Do I have to say it?

Friends: YES!

Me: Okay! Okay! -.- I don't own Inuyasha. You happy now!

**_Kagome's Pain_**

**Chapter 8**: Uh Oh

"I don't get it. How could Naraku enter your dreams, or even get to this era for that matter?"

"How should I know?"

"And how does he know that your powers are getting stronger? I haven't noticed anything different."

"What am I? A psychic? I don't know! Ah. Ahh. Ahhh-CHOO!"

"We'll worry about it later." Inuyasha gave a sigh. "You just get some rest, okay?"

"Okay, but I'm still nervous about the whole thing. What if I have another nightmare?" _'Oh brother!'_ Kagome thought crossly. _'You'd think I was a little kid, with the way I sound.' _

"Somehow, I doubt you will."

Kagome was still rather shaken from that little encounter with Naraku in her dreams. _'It's not just Naraku that worries me. What was the deal with those voices?' _She had left them out, when she explained the dream to Inuyasha. She knew that the appearance of Naraku would upset him enough. With all of this in mind, she drifted into a dreamless sleep.

Inuyasha stayed by her side as she slept, keeping a wet cloth on her forehead. He had almost forgotten about her fever. Luckily, her sneeze reminded him. "Get better soon." He whispered to no one in particular. _'I don't know what Naraku's scheming, but there's no way that I'm gonna let him get away with it.'_ With that he went into a slight doze. Little did he know, they were being watched.

* * *

"What could be taking Inuyasha so long to come back? I'm beginning to worry." Sango said worriedly

"I'm guessing that they're having another argument."

"What makes you so sure Shippo? Something could have happened to one of them."

"Like what?"

"Well…"

"Shut up, Miroku."

"Well aren't we in a snippy mood, today. What's gotten into you, Sango? You've been acting rather strangely ever since Koga left yesterday."

It's been a whole day since Inuyasha left to talk to Kagome. Shippo, Sango, Miroku, Kirara, and even Kaede were sitting by the well, hoping they would come back soon. Shippo's temper had finally cooled down, but he was still rather upset with Inuyasha for getting Kagome angry. He sat on a log with Kirara, thinking of ways to teach him a lesson, without getting caught. _'Well, I could ask Kagome to put him on a diet. No more Ramen Noodles! HA! No. If that happens, he'd either take his anger out on everyone, or force Kagome to go and get more'_ (A/N: Wow! Shippo's really out to get Inuyasha isn't he?) Shippo sat pondering over this for quite some time.

Sango was in strangely bad mood, which had both a good and a bad effect. The good thing was that it kept Miroku away, but the bad thing was that everyone was beginning to worry. No one knew why she was so upset, but they were sure it had something to do with Miroku.

After about a half hour of waiting, Kaede sighed. "I don't think they will be coming back today. I will go and get some dinner started. Ye can stay here if ye wish."

Shippo decided to tag along. He's been rather unsuccessful with his scheming on how to get Inuyasha. The only plan he was able to think of was getting him to chase him around until Kagome got frustrated and said 'SIT', but that would only make Kagome upset, and probably start another argument. _'Oh, I give up!'_ He thought. _'Maybe I'll make better progress with a nap.' _

Kirara fell asleep after a while, on Sango's lap. Miroku took the chance to talk to her, being that they were alone, except for Kirara that is. "Sango?"

"What do you want?" She sounded rather annoyed.

"Are you mad at me about something?"

"What makes you think that?"

"Well, first there's your temper. It seems like, if someone so much as blinks around you, you'd get upset. It's starting to get the others worried." Sango kept silent. "Come on, Sango. You're mad about something. I can keep a secret. You can tell me."

Sango gave a huge sigh. " To tell you the truth," she said as a small smile crept across her face. "I don't remember what I was so mad about."

* * *

"Kagome?"

"Hmmgh"

" Kagome."

"Hmm"

"Kagome, wake up."

"Huh? What's wrong, Inuyasha?"

"I should be asking you that question." Kagome just yawned and stared at Inuyasha tiredly with squinted eyes. "You said my name in your sleep about six times. Were you having another nightmare or something?"

"No" Kagome said with a yawn. "I didn't have a nightmare, but I did have a weird dream where you disappeared for a few days. I was looking for you."

"Oh," was all Inuyasha could say. He was a little upset with himself for waking Kagome up over something like that, but she was beginning to worry him. Ever since that nightmare with Naraku, Kagome had been having strange dreams about Inuyasha leaving her for no reason all of a sudden. "There is no way I'd just leave you like that." Inuyasha said, as he did every time this happened. Kagome, who was now fully awake, nodded sheepishly. Her eyes shimmered with a lingering sadness, and Inuyasha could smell tears. _'She's crying.' _He thought. _'There's gotta be a way for me to cheer her up.'_ "Kagome?"

"Yes" Her voice was a little lower than usual and her sad expression was almost too much for him to bear. He didn't say anything. He couldn't. Kagome saw how worried he was. His ears were flat against his head, and he was looking at the ground. "I'm alright," she said reassuringly. "Really"

Inuyasha sighed. "If you say so."

"In fact, I feel great, now that I notice it. I think my fever's gone and I haven't sneezed once since I woke up."

Inuyasha felt her forehead. Sure enough, her fever was gone. Come to think of it, now that Inuyasha has had a good look at her, she looks a lot better then he did before she passed out the other day. "So," he said with a somewhat playful voice. Kagome knew right away he was going to say something rather annoying. She was ready though. "Are you finally gonna make some use of yourself and fix some lunch -Gah!" Kagome took hold of Inuyasha's left ear and tweaked a few times. "Kagome?!" He said with a cracking voice. "What was that for?"

"Sorry Inuyasha. I just couldn't resist" She half lied. She wasn't really sorry, but she couldn't resist touching his ears. She found them to be so cute, which was strange because she never really took that much notice to his ears since the day she met him. "Does it bother you?" With that she gave him an innocent look. It wasn't her best one, but it was enough to get the answer she wanted.

A small blush crept up his face and he made sure to hide it from her. "Uh… Well… Not really… I-"

"Good." Kagome began rubbing his other ear. Inuyasha's blush grew at least four shades darker, and she noticed the time. His eyes were closed and there was a very slight smile played across his lips. Kagome giggled as Inuyasha began to relax. "Now, what were you saying about lunch?"

" What would you prefer to have for lunch?" Inuyasha said lazily, not yet realizing what just happened.

* * *

Naraku laughed evilly as he watch the two act as if the nightmare had never happened. "Fools! They seem to have forgotten my warning. Maybe I should give them a little reminder." His hand began to glow red as he cast his spell. "This should be most entertaining. Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!" (or however his evil laughs sound)

I think this is my longest chapter yet! It took me forever to finish! Just to let you know, I have mid-term testing for the rest of January and through half of February. I doubt that I'll be able to update for a while. Please review! Ja ne!


	9. Naraku's Spell

Disclaimer: Hey there

Disclaimer: Hey there! I finally found some time between Mid-term studies to write a chapter. Now I'm warning you it's not that great, but, if you want to know what Naraku's spell is, you'll have to read it! Oh! And I'm sure you already no that I don't own Inuyasha!

_**Kagome's Pain**_

**Chapter 9**: Naraku's Spell

Inuyuasha stood over the hot stove, cooking some ramen for him and Kagome. "InuYASHA!" Kagome's scream scared him half to death! He burnt his hand on the stovetop! He ignored the pain in his hand and ran up the stairs. "INUYASHA!" Kagome gave another horrific scream.

Inuyasha burst into her bedroom, to see her lying on the ground, clutching her sides, a faint, red glow surrounding her. "Kagome! What the-" His voice was drowned out when Kagome screamed out in shear agony. _'It must be Naraku.'_ He thought rapidly. _'He must be near by, but why can't I sense him?'_ "Kagome." Inuyasha picked her up, cradling her to his chest. He sat on her bed. "Kagome, listen to me." he whispered soothingly into her ear. He was rather surprised at how calm he sounded. "I need you to tell me exactly where it hurts. Can you do that?" Kagome just quickly nodded and began to scream again. "Shhhhh. It's okay. Just relax the best you can and tell me where it hurts."

Kagome took in short and heavy breaths, trying to calm herself down a bit. She pointed at her sides, right below her ribs, and said, "There... it hurts there... AHHH" She continued to scream.

Inuyasha could smell tears and he new that she was in a lot of pain. He sat her up and began to massage here sides gently. Kagome's screams of agony began to subside and were now cries and whimpers of discomfort. She began to relax into Inuyasha's lap, tears still streaming down her cheeks. Her eye's were puffy and began to burn from crying so much. Inuyasha wiped away what was left of her tears and whispered in her ear once more. "Are you alright? Does it still hurt?"

Kagome sniffled a bit. "Yeah, I'm alright. I'm feeling a lot better." She smiled up at him gratefully, with tired eyes. The glow that surrounded her began to disappear. "Thank you, Inuyasha." She gave him a small hug before drifting to sleep, holding tightly to him.

Inuyasha just stayed there, with Kagome cradled in his lap. As much as he hated to admit it, he was really scared for a minute there. _'What is Naraku up to?'_ He decided he should look at her sides to see if there were any marks or signs to show what had happened to her. He gasped at what he saw. On each of her sides, right below her ribs, there were inscriptions. They were too small for him to make out what they said, but he knew that with those there Naraku had a way to get to her. Suddenly, he sensed Naraku. He was right outside the window! The window opened and Naraku slowly came into the room, laughing. Inuyasha stood up, holding Kagome closer to him and giving a low growl.

"Don't worry" Naraku said with an evil smirk on his face. I am not planning on killing either of you right now."

"Naraku! What are you trying to pull? I know you're responsible for the Kagome was in earlier."

Naraku held out his hand as it started to glow a dark red. Kagome winced and shuddered with pain, tightening her grip on Inuyasha's shirt. "Apparently, the girl has forgotten the warning I gave a few days ago. This should teach her to take me more seriously." The glow of his hand intensified, and Kagome, now fully awake, screamed out in pain, tears streaming down her face once more.

"Inuyasha! Help!" Kagome screamed.

"I will leave you for now. I will be back to kill you eventually. I wouldn't let my guard down if I were you." Naraku laughed evilly before disappearing. Inuyasha stood there, thinking of what Naraku could be scheming. Kagome was trembling in his arms out of both fear and pain.

Kagome gave a small cry, jolting Inuyasha away from his thoughts. Inuyasha quickly went to set her back on the bed. Well… Sort of… Kagome had a death grip on his fire rat top. He decided to just keep her on his lap as before and began to massage her sides again. Kagome cried silently into his chest until she had pretty much no tears left. She felt Inuyasha tense, as he sniffed the air. "What's wrong?" She asked in a soft voice.

"Uh oh," Inuyasha said, mostly to himself. He set her on the bed, forcing her to let go of him. "I'll be right back," He said as he ran out of the room and down the stairs to stop the ramen noodles from setting on fire. Kagome giggled as she heard the clang of pots and Inuyasha's complaining voice. She was still giggling when he cam back into her room. "And what may I ask is so funny?" he said teasingly. Kagome just began to laugh harder at his tone of voice. "That does it! You want somethin' to laugh about?" He cracked his knuckles. "I'll give you somethin' to laugh about." He walked over to the bed and sat next to her. Kagome just looked at him, wandering what he was up to, and trying to hold back her laughter. Suddenly he reached his arms out to her, tickling her sides.

"EEEK Inuyasha!" Kagome laughed even harder. She squirmed and twisted and tried to bat Inyasha's hands away. No matter what she did, he was able to find a ticklish spot on her body. "Alright!" Kagome yelled after a few more minutes of this. "I give! HA! I give! Just stop! You win! Okay?! You - Whoa!" THUD. Kagome fell out of the bed, taking Inuyasha with her.

"Whatcha have to drag me down with ya for?" He laughed out.

"I needed SOMETHING to slow my fall. I just grabbed what ever was closest." Kagome said as she began to catch her breath.

" Well, I'll let you off easy this time, but, if it happens again, I'll have to do something about it."

Kagome smiled, but soon became serious. "So... What are we going to do about Naraku?"

"We have to find out exactly what spell he's using on you, first," Inuyasha said, rather sadly. Kagome yawned and her eyes started to droop. "You get some rest, alright. We'll leave for the feudal era in the morning."

Kagome nodded. She began to stand, but quickly crumpled to the ground. "I guess this whole dilemma has taken more outta me than I thought."

"You okay?" Inuyasha asked as he picked her up.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's nothing a good night's sleep won't fix. I guess-" She yawned. " I guess I'll have to... I'll have to just..." She fell asleep before she could finish her sentence.

_'I guess she was more tired than she looked.'_ Inuyasha thought, as he gazed at the young girl clutching onto his chest. He tried his best to get her to let go of him, but she had an even tighter grip than before. He eventually gave up and laid himself on the bed along with her. He slowly wrapped his arms around her waist, and whispered in her ear. "Sleep well." He smiled as Kagome sighed contently and relaxed more into his embrace. Inuyasha looked out the window, staring towards the setting sun. Before falling asleep, he thought of Kagome and how much he cared for her. He thought how he want nothing more than her safety, and of how he would always protect her, of how he would protect her from Naraku's spell.

* * *

What do you think? I did leave the others out of this chapter, but Naraku has no concern to them at the moment. I was hoping that I could get ideas from my reviewers, but no one seems to have any suggestions. You people are the ones reading the story! You should give me suggestions so I can respond to the will of my readers! Good-bye for now! .


	10. More Trouble

Disclaimer: Thank you for the review Demon Angel(Read stories)

Disclaimer: Thank you for the review Demon Angel(Read stories). I really appreciate it! Pupkid, I got your review too. I appreciate that you gave an idea. I promise I'll put your suggestion in the next chapter. (Sorry, but this chapter was already planned and written when I got the review) The rest of you... WHY WON'T YOU REVIEW! You're the ones reading the story! You should give ideas! This is the last time I'm sayin' this!

Now that that's out of the way, I'd like to say that I don't own Inuyasha. On with the story!

**_Kagome's Pain_**

**Chapter 10**: More Trouble

Kagome was in a dark room. Dark? No... Pitch black describes it better. She wasn't even sure if it was a room! This place reminded her, all too much, of the nightmare she had with Naraku, just a few days ago. _'Oh! Great!'_ she thought sarcastically. _'All that's missing are the strange, anonymous voices.' _

"Kagome."

_'Wait! I was only kidding!' _

"Kagome."

_'Here we go again!' _

"Kagome.. Kagome... Beware!"

"Beware? Beware of what?" The voices grew louder and more cluttered. "Ugh! Not this again!" She covered her ears, but that made no difference. The voices became torturous, and she shut her eye's, screaming with all her might.

Suddenly, everything went silent. Kagome suddenly felt dizzy, as if everything was going in circles. She fell to what she hoped was the ground and squeezed her eyes shut. Everything stilled after a while, but Kagome still refused to open her eyes. It was so quiet, she was afraid of what would be there once she did open her eyes.

"Kagome?"

_'Not again... please...not again.' _

"Kagome."

_'Wait! I know that voice. It can't be!'_ Kagome slowly and cautiously opened her eyes. She saw a wooded floor and walls. The scent of medicinal herbs filled her nose. She was lying on a futon at Kaede's hut. But... How? _'This is just too weird.'_ Kagome thought, but she wasn't complaining she was with someone she knew and trusted. "Uh... How did I get here, Kaede?"

"Inuyasha brought ye here earlier this morning. Ye were acting very strangely. Mumbling strange things about voices in your sleep, ye were beginning to worry me."

"Oh." Kagome stood up, ignoring the fact that she still felt rather dizzy. "Ummm...Where is Inuyasha now?"

"I believe he is out by the well. Maybe ye should go talk to him. He was very worried about you."

"Alright. See you later!" With that, Kagome was out the door, walking towards the well. As she neared the clearing where the well was, she had an all too familiar feeling. "Kikyo" she said under her breath. She kept walking. She heard voices up ahead. She reached the clearing, just in time to see Kikyo walk up to Inuyasha and kiss him! Kagome hid behind some bushes and watched, but... they didn't move it was as though time had stopped. Soon, Kagome was able to hear laughing, but once she realized who was laughing she was frozen with fear.

"Does this" Naraku said with an evil smirk on his face. "look familiar? Is this not what happens every time Kikyo comes by? I assume you are upset by this. Yes… I can see it in your eyes that this event hurts you more than anything." Kagome just stood there, with eyes filled with both sorrow and horror. This only widened Naraku's smile. "I have an offer for you." He said, as he disappeared before her eyes.

"What?" Kagome whispered to her self. "Where did he go?" She gasped when she felt a cold hand on her wrist, and wanted to scream when she felt Naraku's arm come around her waist from behind her.

"You wish to be with Inuyasha, do you not?" Kagome stayed silent, watching as the scene of Inuyasha and Kikyo disappeared into darkness. She wished that Naraku would just let go of her and tell her what he wants. "How about we make a deal? I'll keep Kikyo out of your way, so you can try and win that half- breed's heart, but you must give me your shards of the jewel. What do you say?" Kagome kept silent with fear, but a bit of anger did spark up in her.

_'If he really thinks that I would give him more power to serve my own needs...' _

"No? Hehe. I didn't think that you'd go for it." He laughed a bit, and held her closer, breathing into her ear.

Kagome was starting to come out of her horror stricken shock. She came back to her senses and began to struggle. She kicked and screamed and tried her best to get away, but Naraku's hold just tightened. Kagome didn't know what to do, so she just cried. _'Inuyasha'_ she thought. _'Where are you? Someone?... Anyone... Help!' _

* * *

Inuyasha woke up as the sun began to filter through the window. He looked at Kagome as she slept peacefully in his arms. He took in a deep breath, along with her scent, and noticed something. There was something strange about her scent. He could, not only smell, but also sense that she was becoming rather confused. _'I wonder what she could be dreaming about.' _He thought as she became more and more confused and frustrated. Suddenly, as her confusion began to settle, she also seemed relieved. _'Whatever she's dreaming about, it can't be that bad. It's not like she's mumbling anything from it. She hasn't squirmed or made any weird noises.'_ He noticed that she was still quite confused, but there was also a sudden sadness welling up inside her. _'I guess I spoke too soon'_

"What?" was mumbled out of her mouth, as her scent became filled with fear. Inuyasha brought her a little closer, trying to comfort her a bit, but her fear only rose and she began to move around, as if trying to get out of his embrace. As her movements became stronger, Inuyasha tightened his hold, wishing that she would calm down. He could sense anger and pure terror emanating from her. He saw a tear run down her cheek and soon a whole stream of them. "No" She said in a strained voice, causing Inuyasha to worry even more.

"Kagome" he said, as he tightened his hold on her. "Kagome, wake up"

* * *

Kagome felt Naraku's cold arms, wrapped around her waist, as they tightened around her. She was still crying, although most tears were held back, and had already stopped struggling against him.

"Now, here is my real offer." Naraku said calmly. "I think you should leave that worthless half-breed of yours. It's not like he could protect you properly anyway. Why don't you join with me?" Kagome couldn't believe what she was hearing. " We could be of great use to each other."

Kagome felt a great anger build up within her. "If you think that I'd ever join forces with you..." Naraku disappeared before she could finish her sentence, dropping her to the ground.

"Ill give you time to think about my offer." she heard Naraku laugh. "Until then, I'll be waiting." His voice faded away. Kagome was alone, once again.

Kagome's eyes snapped open and she gasped. She was finding it rather hard to breath, and she had broken into a cold sweat. As she calmed her self down she adjusted to her surroundings. She was happy to see that she was back in her room, tucked safely into Inuyasha's arms. _'Wait'_ she thought. _'Inuyasha? Did he stay here with me the whole night?'_ She decided to leave that subject alone, and thought about the dream she just had.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha said with and unsure voice. "Are you alright?"

At that moment, something in Kagome snapped. The tears that she was trying to hold back came streaming down her face. She sobbed and cried into Inuyasha's chest. She told him everything that happened in her dream; from the voices to the offer Naraku gave her. Inuyasha held her as close as possible when she was done, doing his best to comfort and calm her. "Inuyasha." She sobbed after about a half hour of this. "What are we going to do?"

"I...I'm not all too sure, but... But I think we should get back to the feudal era. The others would want to know about this, and you'd probably be safer there." Kagome sniffled and nodded. Inuyasha gave her one last hug, to make sure she was calm, before getting up. He took of his fire rat top, which was soaked with Kagome's tears. "Why don't we have breakfast and get ready to go?"

"Before we do... Ummm... Last week... you were talking with Kikyo."

Inuyasha tensed _'She's still upset with me for that? Ugh! I wonder just how much of the conversation she heard.' _

"I wanted to ask you.. What were the two of you talking about?" Kagome looked down. "It's not that I mean to be nosey or anything...but...I.. overheard something about killing me. Is it okay if I asked what's going on?" (A/N: Those who don't remember what Kikyo said about killing Kagome, please look at chapter three for the full explanation.)

Inuyasha sighed. He knew he would have to tell her this, but he hoped he wouldn't have to just yet. Things were upsetting enough for her, and he didn't want to make it worse. He sighed again. He had no choice. He sat down next to her on the bed and began to explain.

Naraku sat in the darkness of his castle, looking into Kanna's mirror. He listened, as Inuyasha explained Kikyo's plans to Kagome. "So that's what she has been up to." He said evilly. "This should be more interesting than I thought." He gave his usual laugh.

"So, she wants to kill me and restore her full power?"

"Yeah. That's about it."

"Why can't we just work together as a team?"

"I asked her the same thing. She said that she refuses to work with you. She thinks that you would only get in her way."

"Oh." Kagome had a rather worried look on her face.

"Don't worry about it, Kagome." Inuyasha said, hoping to cheer her up a bit. "There's no way that I'd agree to something like that. Let's get some food and get going. You know the others will want to know about all of this."

"Yeah.. Okay." Kagome said as she got up, still sniffling a bit. She went down stairs to find out what to eat.

Inuyasha sat on her bed, thinking about everything that happened this passed week. So much has happened, and Kagome is stuck in the middle of all of it! _'There has to be something I can do to cheer her up.' _He thought, remembering how sad she seemed lately. Who could blame her?

Kagome looked though the kitchen for something to eat, but she was more focused on other things. Because of everything that happened the passed week, she has a lot of questions in mind. _'Why is all of this happening? How and when is this going to end?'_ But the questions that stood out most were; _'Why is Inuyasha being so calm and understanding? Since when was he so...well...nice?'_ She decided to let it go for now, and took out cereal, milk and two bowls. By then, Inuyasha had come down and sat at the table. "Hey, Inuyasha. Does cereal sound good to you?"

"Cereal?"

"Kagome sighed and pour him a bowl of Cocoa Puffs. (A/N: Just so you know, that was the only thing to pop into mind at the moment. Probably because I had that exact same thing for breakfast today.) When she sat the bowl in front of him, adding milk and a spoon, he just looked at it. "Just try it, Inuyasha." She said as she began pouring cereal into her own bowl.

Inuyasha ate a little, just to see whether he likes it or not. Kagome continued to eat hers while keeping an eye on what he does. "Hey! This isn't half bad!" Inuyasha said before he began eating in his usual manner.

Kagome was done with her food and decide to go back upstairs to pack. Inuyasha just stayed down there, pouring himself more cereal.

Within about a half hour, the two of them were ready to go. They walked towards the well house and were about to jump into the well, but Kagome suddenly became very dizzy. She wobbled a bit and held on to the edge of the well. Inuyasha kneeled by her.

"Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

"I..I think so." She answered, standing up, slowly but steadily.

"What happened?"

"Uhhh… I'm not sure, but I'm sure Kaede would know."

"Okay. Let's go." With that, they jumped into the well.

* * *

All right! I'll have to stop there. I am sorry, once again, that I did not add the others. I know I had some big reason for putting them in the story, but I lost the paper that I put my ideas on. .;; --;;; Moving on! Thanks for all the great reviews, although I only got about three or four. They were nice anyway! Oh, and Sakura Li Samurai. If your reading this, I want you to know that your story on Kurama is alright. Just leave Karasu out of it! You know that guy creeps me out! To the rest of you, thank you for the reviews. Oh and those who made suggestions for the story, I'd like to especially thank you. I'll be using them in the next few chapters. Bye for now!


	11. Oh no!

Disclaimer: Hi everyone

Disclaimer: Hi everyone! I'm finally updating. Thanks for all of the great reviews! I got a lot of them this time around! I'll just move on with the story now!

_**Kagome's Pain**_

**Chapter 11**: Oh no!

"Kagome!"

"Shippo!"

"Kagome! I was beginning think you'd never return to us!" Shippo jumped into her arms. "Inuyasha! Did you apologize to Kagome? Or did you drag her back, like you usually do?!"

"It's none of your business." Inuyasha said. He and Kagome had gone through the well, and were immediately greeted by Shippo.

"Don't worry, Shippo. He apologized."

"Kagome!"

"Hi Sango!" Kagome turned to her good friend. "Where's Miroku?"

"I'm right here." Miroku came from behind some bushes. He had a rather blank expression on his face, and there was a huge lump on his head. That could only mean one thing.

"Still can't learn to control yourself, can you Miroku?" Inuyasha said teasingly. Everyone laughed at Miroku's embarrassed, falsely innocent look.

Suddenly, Kagome dropped Shippo and he hit the ground with a THUD. "OW! What's wrong Kagome?" He looked at her as she took a shaky step back. Everyone looked at her, wondering what was wrong, although, Inuyasha already had a pretty good idea what it was. Her legs began to wobble and a pained look appeared in her eyes. "Kagome?" Shippo became very worried, as did everyone else.

"Uh oh" Inuyasha said as he rushed up to Kagome, just in time to catch her, as she collapsed. Her teeth were gritted with pain, and her eyes were squeezed shut. "Not again." He said angrily, when he heard a slight whimper of discomfort.

"Inuyasha. What do you mean, by 'Not again?' Did this happen before? What's wrong with her?" Sango watched as Kagome had one hand clutched to Inuyasha and the other clutching her side, a tear running down her cheek every so often. Inuyasha began to gently massage her sides, as he did when this first happened.

Shippo and Miroku just watched as Sango kept asking questions. "I'll explain it later," Inuyasha said soberly. "Right now, we should get her to Kaede." When Kagome stopped crying, save the couple of sniffles and whines she gave every now and then, he picked her up and held her close. "You alright?" He asked. He was happy to see her nod a 'yes' to him. "Just relax, okay." She relaxed immediately into his embrace, but she still didn't let go of him. Her hand was still clutching to his shirt, as if her life depended on it. The group began walking to the village in silence.

"Inuyasha? What just happened?" Miroku asked. Inuyasha kept silent, clearly too focused on Kagome to pay attention to his question.

Once at Kaede's hut, Inuyasha walked straight towards one of the futons. Kagome had fallen asleep, still clinging to Inuyasha. No matter what he did, there was no way for him to get her to let go. He eventually gave up, and sat down, with her clutching him from his right. She began to stir, but was clearly still pretty much asleep. "Inu... Inya... Inu... yas." She began to murmur in her sleep. Inuyasha tightened his arm around her and she simply snuggled into his embrace.

"Now, do you mind explaining what's going on, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked as he watched Kagome snuggle into his embrace a slight smile tugging at her lips.

"Where's Kaede? I was hoping she'd be here."

"I'm right here, Inuyasha. Ye can tell your story." The old priestess walked into the hut, carrying a basket full of herbs.

Inuyasha told his friends everything that happened while in Kagome's time. He left out all of the mushy and nice stuff they did together. The others didn't need to know all that.

When he was done, everyone sat in silence and, somewhat shock. Kagome was still fast asleep, apparently having a very nice dream, judging by the look on her face. Every now and then, she'd murmur Inuyasha's name in such a low voice, that Inuyasha was the only one to hear it. Something about that gave him a very good feeling. He was about to smile at this but stopped himself because of the four pairs of eyes looking at him.

Sango was the first to find her voice. "But...but... How did Naraku... a spell?" She found her voice, but she still can't talk yet. --; She sat thinking over everything she had just heard. As a small realization dawned upon her, her eyes widened and she shook her head in disbelief. "If Naraku was able to get to her that easily, that means that he could... and he might... Oh no. What are we gonna do?!"

"Keep your voice down." Inuyasha said, gesturing to the young girl, sleeping beside him.

"Sorry." She lowered her voice and continued. "Kagome's in real danger, especially with that spell Naraku has on her."

"I'm sure we could cancel the spell if we knew what spell it was. Right, Kaede?" Miroku added to, hopefully cheer everyone up.

"Yes. We just have to find out what the inscriptions say." Kaede looked at Kagome, as if in thought. "Until then, we must all keep a close watch on her, lest Naraku try some new tricks. There is still one thing that troubles me, though."

"What is it Kaede?" Inuyasha said in a hushed voice, full of worry for his close friend.

"If Naraku was able to do this, then why didn't he do this sooner? Why did he waste countless demons on chasing after her, instead of doing this right away? Could it be that he was unable to do this until now? If that is so, then-"

"-then he must have somehow become stronger!" Everyone said this at once. The room was filled with silence. This definitely was not good.

The silence was broken by sniffles and small cries. Shippo! The poor little fox was forgotten until then. He sat there, next to Inuyasha, trying to hold back his tears, and obviously failing. Kagome was like a mother to him, and, being that his original one had died long ago, he now feared he'd lose her, too. He fought to hold his tears; he wanted to look strong for his friends. Also, if he cried too loud, he'd disturb Kagome. He knew that she'd need all of the rest that she could get.

Kaede took the young Kitsune out of the hut to comfort him, while the others discussed the situation. His wails and cries were soon heard from outside. The others discussed the situation, wandering how Naraku got to Kagome in the first place, and trying to form some kind of plan, but they couldn't think of anything that they could do at the moment. They agreed to protect her, in the best way they can. Sango suddenly felt a chill run up her spine, as did Miroku. They were so focused on the problem at hand, that they didn't notice how cold it had gotten, or even that it was getting to be late in the evening. They were out of firewood, too. "I'll go get some firewood." Sango said. She walked off, carrying Kirara on her shoulder.

"Wait!" Miroku said. "I'll go with you. You never know what could pop up out there, especially when it's late." The two walked off, leaving Kagome and Inuyasha alone.

Inuyasha tightened his arm around her, and pulled her into his lap. He hugged her close, with closed eyes, as he breathed in her scent. Her scent always seemed to calm him down. He sighed with relief, now sure that she was sleeping peacefully. He began to think about everything that has happened over the past week. Kikyo and her plans, Naraku's spell, and, most importantly, Kagome. _'So much has happened, and they all involve her. She's in grave danger. It's as if she's a magnet to every demon and killer! Everyone's after her!'_ Inuyasha was getting upset. _'There is no way that I'd ever let anyone harm her! But...I haven't been doing a very good job of it, have I?'_ He looked at her sleeping form, laying in his lap and clutching to his chest. _'I wish I could've stopped him from putting that spell on her. Then, she wouldn't have to suffer through all of this.' _He cursed at himself, for being so weak and unable to properly protect those he cared for. He inhaled her scent, to, once again, calm himself down. _'What the...'_ He took another whiff of her scent. _'Her... Her powers... They're... rising... but why?'_ He thought about how Naraku said she was growing stronger. _'But why am I just now noticing? How is she getting stronger, when all she did was rest all of this time?'_ He sniffed her one more time to be sure. Her powers were growing, slowly, but the change was evident.

Kagome began to stir, and slowly opened her eyes. _'Ugh! My head!'_ She thought as she closed her eyes again and snuggled into something warm. She didn't bother to find out what she was snuggled into. It was warm, and it made her feel safe. _'Just what happened to me, anyway? What a headache!' _She gave a small whine of discomfort, knocking Inuyasha away from his thoughts. He shifted slightly, but she didn't notice. She continued with her thoughts, trying to remember how and when she passed out, snuggling even deeper into Inuyasha's embrace.

Inuyasha looked down at her with a smile. "Hey. It's about time you woke up." He said quietly into her ear.

Kagome's eyes snapped open. "Inuyasha?" She said weakly, as she looked up to face him.

"How're you feeling?"

"Horrible. I've got a HUGE headache. And, is it me, or is it really hot in here? What happened to me anyway?" She paused for a moment. "We're at Kaede's hut? And the others aren't here asking questions? They usually ask a lot of questions. Just how long have I been asleep?"

"You've slept for the past hour and a half." He felt her forehead. "You're burning up! No wonder you have such a bad headache." He laid her on the futon and looked around for the small bucket that usually sat in the corner. "I'll be right back." He said as he ran off towards the nearest river, to get cold water.

Kagome laid there, looking at the door of the hut, thinking of nothing in particular. She had too much of a headache to think. Her hazed thoughts drifted to Inuyasha; how nice he had been lately, the fact that he'd been so gentle and understanding through this whole dilemma. It's not really like him. She was puzzled by his behavior, but she wasn't complaining. In fact, she wished for this change in his personality to last forever. Inuyasha came in, holding the bucket, filled with water. And sat down next to her with a damp cloth. Kagome, however, was too dazed from her fever and hazed thoughts to notice. When the wet, cold cloth touched her forehead, she whimpered in surprise, finding the incredibly cold object uncomfortable. She looked up at Inuyasha, as she began to feel sick to her stomach. She gave another whimper of discomfort before getting up and dashing out of the hut.

Inuyasha went out of the hut to find her on her knees, bent over an old log. He picked her up carefully, as she groaned and whimpered from all sorts of pains. A tear came to her eye, as she tried to speak. "Inu...yasha... What's ...wrong with me? Why am I... so sick?" She closed her eyes and snuggled into him, as his grip around her tightened.

* * *

"Miroku?"

"Yes Sango"

"I'm really worried about Kagome. I mean... She's going to suffer through so much with that spell on her. Do you think she'll be able to handle it?"

Miroku picked up a piece of wood and added it to his collection before answering. "Kagome has a very strong will. I'm sure she can handle this for some time, but even one as strong-willed as her has limits. After a while she'll most likely need to be pushed on."

Sango picked up a small twig, not really paying attention to whether it can be used for a fire or not. "I feel so useless. Isn't there any way that we can stop this?"

"No. Not until we find out what spell it is." Miroku picked up one last bit of wood. "This should be enough. It's getting late, too. The sun has set a while ago." He began walking back to the village, Sango close behind him.

As they reach the edge of the village, they heard an ear piercing, all too familiar scream. "Kagome!" They both said at once, racing to see what had happened, and dropping half of their load.

* * *

I'm going to stop there. Oh! I remembered why I added Miroku and Sango to the story! Pay close attention to what goes on between them. You might want to look back at them a few chapters earlier, too. The small details about them will add up eventually. I might even let you decide what happens to them! Anyway! Thanks again for all of the great reviews! . Please review this chapter, as well!


	12. What a Day!

Disclaimer: I lost the prewritten version of this chapter, so bare with me on this one

Disclaimer: I lost the prewritten version of this chapter, so bare with me on this one. Other than that, I hope you enjoy!

_**Kagome's Pain**_

**Chapter 12**: What a Day!

Sango and Miroku ran as fast as their feet could carry them. When they reached the hut, they saw Kaede and Shippo coming their way.

"Was that Kagome?!" Shippo said, climbing onto Miroku's shoulder.

"We believe so." Miroku said, catching his breath. The group rushed into the hut when they heard Kagome groan loudly in pain.

"Shh. It's okay, Kagome." Inuyash whispered reassuringly into Kagome's ear. "Just relax. You'll be fine. Shush, now." He held her close, massaging her sides once again.

(AN: I'd bet that you were hoping for something else, like an attack of some kind, or Naraku, or worse. Sorry, but that won't happen until later on...)

Kagome gritted her teeth, shaking and shuttering with pain. A stream of tears flowed freely down her face, as she sobbed and cried into his chest. "Inu... YASHA!" She managed to get out between sobs, but whatever she intended to say was forgotten when a surge of pain swept over her body. She screamed out in shear agony, her hands clutching even more tightly to Inuyasha's sleeve. She cried even harder, not to mention louder. To make the noise worse, Shippo began to cry, too. He couldn't bear to see her like this.

"Hush now, child." Kaede said, walking him out of the hut.

"Kagome! Try to relax!" Inuyasha said into her ear. She didn't hear him. She simply screamed louder and louder, kicking her legs, as she writhed in pain. It was just so painful for him to see her like this.

Sango looked at her dear friend, kicking and screaming with agony. She was suddenly overwhelmed with grief for her, and ran out of the hut.

"Sango?" Miroku said, worried about both of his friends. He glanced at Kagome one more time; her screaming had diminished to sniffles and whines. He figured that she'd be okay and left the hut as well.

Inuyasha held Kagome closer, happy that she was calming down, he took a whiff of her scent. He could tell she was still in pain, but she was most likely hiding it, as not to worry him. He could smell her relief at the fact that it was over, for now. He noticed something else; fear. He could smell her fear and she was terrified! He knew how frightened she was, but knew that she'd never admit it. "Kagome..." he began, but was cut off.

"Inuyasha... Thank you, for being so kind to me." Kagome sniffled a bit, snuggling into his tight embrace.

"No problem. How do you feel? Any better?" He knew that was a dumb question to ask, but he didn't care. He just wanted to talk with her a bit, though he wasn't sure of why.

"A lot better than I did a few minutes ago." She chuckled lightly, knowing he did that on purpose. Her sniffling still hadn't ended, and a few tears still came to her eyes. Inuyasha whipped away most of her tears and she began to talk again. "It's like being stabbed a thousand times, over and over."

"Huh?"

"Or being punched in the ribs and stomach endlessly and ruthlessly. Sometimes, it feels like being stung by thousands of wasps, or hornets." Kagome sniffed and repressed new tears, as she went on describing the pain she had endured. Inuyasha listened intently to what she said, slowly tightening his grip on her.

When she was finished, she snuggled even deeper into his embrace. He wiped away the last of her tears, whispering in her ear. "You're very brave, you know that?"

"How?"

"You suffered through so much, and yet, you are somehow able to keep calm. At times, you seem to be the happiest person in the world. I envy you.

"You? Envy ME?" She gawked at him, her eyes shimmering, and slightly puffy, from crying so much.

"Yes. I do. If I were in your situation, I'd probably be going nuts!"

"Really?"

"Yes."

Kagome stared at him with disbelief, not because of what he said, but because he said it. He was being honest and telling her his true feelings. "Okay." She said seriously. "Who are you and what have you done with Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha simply laughed at her. "Ha uh what?!"

"The Inuyasha I know wouldn't be this honest about his feelings. He'd be grumpy and bossy and he'd call me a wimp. He wouldn't be quite so kind and gentle either."

"Oh, really?" He said with a rather evil smirk on his face. He poked her lightly, in the ribs. Unfortunate for her, she was very ticklish. She giggled a bit, as he poked her a couple more times. Inuyasha's smirk widened a bit. "What's the matter, Kagome?" He said teasingly, tickling her sides a bit more.

Kagome was in a fit of giggles. "Inuyasha! Cut that out!"

"What? Oh, you mean this?" He tickled her sides again, making her laugh harder.

"Yes, that!" She squirmed around to get out of his way, but, once he couldn't get to her sides, he found new places to reach. No matter what she did, there was at least one ticklish spot open to him. "Inuyasha! Stop! HA HA!"

"No way! Don't be such a wimp, Kagome." He laughed at the look on her face when he said that. _'I guess that proves to her that I'm me.'_ He thought. He smirked at her again. "Besides, this is too much fun."

Kagome tried to glare at him, but was too busy trying not to laugh. "Oh! You!" She decided to try retaliating. Reaching out and trying to tickle him, she hoped to at least slow him down. No such luck. He simply laughed at her feeble attempts to overpower him.

He stopped, deciding that she'd had enough. He noticed the bucket of water and wet cloth behind him, reminding him of the fever Kagome had not too long ago. He looked at her and felt her forehead, her fever seeming to be worse than before! "Kagome, Are you sure you're feeling okay? You're burning up, even worse than earlier." He placed the cloth on her head, somewhat startling her with how cold it was.

"I feel fine, really. My headache is pretty much gone. In fact, I don't feel the least bit sick." She looked at him and he could tell right away that she was lying.

"Liar. You feel worse, don't you? You need to stop trying to hide stuff like this, Kagome."

* * *

Sango and Miroku sat by the lake, right outside of the village.

"Calm down, Sango. I'm sure that Kagome's just fine."

"She is NOT, Miroku." Sango sobbed. "You saw her in there, kicking and screaming her lungs out! She's in so much pain and there's nothing we can do to help her!"

"It hurts me to see her like this, too, but think for a minute. What would she do if she saw you so upset about it?."

Sango calmed herself enough to stop crying and thought about what Kagome's reaction would be right now. "First, she'd tell me to cheer up and not to worry about her." She hesitated a bit.

"And what else would she do? Think of her personality."

"She'd do her best to hide the problem, causing her to suffer even more."

"That's right. You know that she can't stand to make people worry about her. She'll go off, trying to take care of it herself, and, somehow, only succeed in making it worse." Miroku put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly, as she began to cry again. "Look, as long as she has the spell on her, she will suffer. The best we can do is support her, and ...try not to get upset about it." He warned her.

"You're right, Miroku. Thanks."

"No problem. Let's get back to the hut. It's getting late."

Sango looked around. The sun had set already, stars covering the night sky. The nearly full moon hovered over the horizon, signifying how late it was. The two stood up, walking side by side to the hut and savoring the beauty of the night.

* * *

Kagome lay, half asleep in her sleeping bag, as Inuyasha added some wood to the fire. "Inuyasha?" She said rather weakly.

"Yeah? What is it?" He looked at her, noticing that she shivered slightly.

"Is it me, or is it really cold in here?"

"It's a little on the chilly side, but it's not that cold, Kagome." He took the now warm cloth off of her head and soaked it in the bucket of cold water. He felt her forehead and around her face to find that her fever was still getting worse. _'That's not good.'_ He thought as he dabbed at her neck and face with the cloth, trying to cool her off a bit. Kagome murmured something, but Inuyasha didn't quite catch what she said. "What was that?"

"There's some ... medicine for fevers ... in my bag." She repeated. She looked over to her bag, sitting in the corner, by the door. "Check the small pocket on the left."

Inuyasha did as he was instructed find a small container of pills, with a label that read:

Advil

Pain reliever/ Fever reducer

'_I guess this is what she was talking about.'_ He thought reading the rest of the label. _'Let's see, the directions say to take two.'_ He took two pills from the container and took a bottle of fresh water from Kagome's bag. He sat next to her. "Hey. Do you think you could sit up for a sec, to take this medicine?"

Kagome tried to sit up, but a sudden, pounding ache came to her head. She plopped her head back onto her pillow, with a moan. She tried again, with Inuyasha's help, her head throbbing with a headache. He put one of the pills in her mouth and got her to drink some water. She forcefully swallowed, her throat very sore from the screaming she had done earlier. Then, did the same with the other pill. With that done, Kagome snuggled into the warmth of her sleeping bag, although, she felt rather uncomfortable inside it.

Inuyasha noticed and grabbed a few blankets from her bag. "Would you rather have these?" He laid them out next to her. She smiled at him gratefully, before scooting out of the sleeping bag and wrapping her self in the blankets. Inuyasha sat down next to her, pulling her into a light embrace.

"Thanks again, Inuyasha," She said, as she snuggled into him. She gave a large sleepy yawn. "For everything."

"Get some rest, Kagome. It's late." Inuyasha placed the cloth back on her forehead, as she quickly went to sleep.

Kaede came into the hut, holding Shippo, who had cried himself to sleep. She laid him on Kagome's sleeping bag, ignoring the couple next to it, and went to her room to get some sleep herself.

Inuyasha relaxed, resting his head on top of Kagome's. Soon, he, too, dozed into a peaceful sleep.

Sango and Miroku walked into the hut to find everyone sleeping peacefully. Sango smiled at the couple on the opposite side of the room. "Well, don't they make a cute couple?" She laughed slightly, pointing at them.

Miroku smiled as well. "Better keep quiet. We don't want to wake them up, especially Inuyasha." The two grabbed their blankets from a corner of the hut and were quickly claimed by sleep.

Before falling asleep, though, Sango thought about everything that has happened that one day. '_What a Day! I wonder how things will be tomorrow?'_

Naraku sat in his castle, thinking to himself about the torture he had put Kagome through that day, laughing at her suffering and pain. _'I wonder what they intend to do about her. It doesn't look like her fever's getting any better either.'_ He laughed again. _'I wonder if she even thought about my offer yet. I'll soon find out.' _

Sorry but I must stop here. I believe this is one of the longest chapters I've done. Either that or it's the chapter that took the longest to finish typing. Can you believe it took me a week to finish this! I hardly had more than ten minutes on the computer within the last three days! My dada kept kicking me off of the computer to make me go out and practice for softball. Oh well. I hope this chapter didn't bore you or anything. Bye, for now!


	13. Captured

Disclaimer: I'm back

Disclaimer: I'm back! I'm striving for this chapter to be the longest one so far, because I know I won't have much time to work on the story afterwards. Other than that, enjoy! Oh, Yeah! I don't own Inuyasha.

_**Kagome's Pain**_

**Chapter 13**: Captured

"Kagome..."

"Uh oh." Kagome looked around, although it was pointless. It was too dark to see. She stood up and began to walk, becoming a bit angrier, with each step she took. "Naraku." She said in a low voice. "I've had enough of this! Show yourself!"

Naraku gave his usual laugh, as he appeared before her. "I assume you knew I was coming." He, for the first time, removed the mask of the white baboon, showing his face. This somewhat surprise Kagome, but she stood her ground, giving him the most evil glare that she could manage. "Have you considered my offer?"

"I have no intentions of joining forces with you, nor shall I ever. You're down right evil." Kagome stated calmly.

A strong wind blew and thick, purple smog surrounded the two of them. A miasma! Naraku laughed again. "I suggest you reconsider your decision."

"Kagome covered her nose and mouth, trying not to breath in the poison. The miasma grew thicker, making it harder to see. Kagome looked around and saw a small spot where the miasma was a bit cleared, then looked back at Naraku. All she could see of him at this point was the red glow surrounding him, and the even darker, red glow in his eyes. She began to back away from him and towards the clearing.

Naraku gave a small laugh as he walked forward, closing in on her. "Where do you think you're going?" His eyes glowed and even deeper shade of red. The miasma became thicker, too thick for Kagome to handle. She kept moving, coughing and trying to get some breath. "You really should think a bit more about my offer."

* * *

The sun filtered through the window of the hut, shining into Inuyasha's face and waking him up. He slowly opened his eyes, trying to let them adjust to the light. Sango lay in one corner of the hut, sleeping peacefully, while Miroku sat by the door, apparently sleeping. There was a red mark on his right cheek, about the size of Sango's hand. Inuyasha easily guessed how that got there. He could hear robins and sparrows chirping outside. It was such a peaceful morning. He lifted his head from its place on top of Kagome's and stretched all of the kinks out of his neck. He stretched out his arms and got a bit more comfortable, being careful not to disturb the girls sleeping next to him.

He heard a large yawn and looked to the side. Shippo was curled up on the sleeping bag, holding onto Kirara as if she was a teddy bear. Shippo gave as small sigh of content, somewhat tightening his grip on Kirara. Inuyasha smiled slightly at the sight of all of his friends, sleeping peacefully in the hut. Everything was calm and relaxing.

He pulled Kagome into a small embrace, breathing in her scent. _'Uh oh'_ He thought, taking another sniff at her. _'Fear. She must be having another one of those nightmares.' _

* * *

Kagome choked and gasped, trying to breath. The miasma was too thick. Her vision began to blur, but she saw the hazed figure of Naraku closing in on her. She desperately tried to run away, but was soon stopped by his hand on her shoulder. He pulled her back, into him and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm going to ask you again." He said, pulling her hands away from her face and pinning them to her sides, allowing her to breath in the miasma. Will you join me?" He held her tight as she began to squirm and fight him off.

* * *

Inuyasha felt Kagome tense, and hold her breath; she began to tremble a bit. He could smell her fear skyrocketing. "Kagome?" He whispered in her ear. "Kagome, wake up."

"No..." Kagome said, barely above a whisper. She began to move around a bit, as if trying to escape his embrace. "I ...won't"

* * *

"I'll never join someone like you!"

"You don't really have much of a choice. You know how much pain you've suffered through. I guess I was a little too soft on you. I can and will make it worse, if I have to. OR," He gave her a small squeeze. "I could just go for you're friends and family." Kagome froze, her eyes wide with fear and disbelief. "I am able to travel to your time. You know that already. Maybe, I should get your family to convince you."

"Leave them out of this! They don't even know who you are!" Kagome fell to the ground as Naraku laughed. _'He can't ... I won't let him ...'_ She looked up at him, her eyes glowing a bright shade of blue. A vortex of her powers surrounded them, canceling the miasma.

"What?" This caught Naraku off guard. _'Her powers just about doubled!!'_

* * *

"What the!!" Inuyasha gasped out, as a faint light surrounded Kagome's form. The commotion woke all of the others at once.

"Inuyasha! What's happening to her?" Shippo shrieked, still holding Kirara. Everyone, even Kaede looked at her worriedly.

Inuyasha took a whiff of her scent. There was fear, anger, and disbelief, not a good combination. He sniffed at her again. '_It can't be!'_ "Miroku, do you sense any thing strange about Kagome?"

Miroku focused for a few seconds, before giving a large gasp. "But... How?"

"So, I'm not going crazy here!" Inuyasha said, still holding Kagome close.

"Ya mind telling the rest of us what's going on!" Sango snapped, hating to be left out of the subject.

"Kagome's powers have nearly doubled!" Inuyasha said. "It was growing slowly before, but I don't know how this could've – Aaargh!" The glow, that surround her body, grew brighter and sparks of what looked almost like lightning shot throughout the room. Kagome's eyes snapped open, a bright glow shining from them. The entire hut was filled with a blinding light. Crash!! Two walls and the roof of the hut were nothing more than rubble around them.

"What was THAT?" Inuyasha asked. That blast jolted him and hurt almost as much as a purifying sutra.

"I'm not exactly sure." Kaede said. "But I believe that blast came from Kagome's powers."

"Whoa!!" Shippo, who was spared from the strength of the blast, thanks to Inuyasha's body being in the way, gawked at Kagome, who was lying on the ground, next to Inuyasha. Her blankets were in shreds, and she trembled slightly from the cold morning breeze.

Kagome's eye's lost the glow it had just recently, as did the rest of her body. She gasped to catch her breath and seemed to have broken into a cold sweat. "Wha ... What happened?" She said shakily.

"We were about to ask you them same thing." Sango said, looking around at what was left of the hut.

"Kagome, did you, by any chance, have a nightmare?" Kaede asked thoughtfully.

"Yes, and it was awful. Why do you ask?"

"Hmmm. Interesting… I will explain later. Right now, we need to fix this place up. Miroku, ye get started on picking up the pieces, ye, too, Sango. Shippo, ye can come with me. We'll recruit some of the villagers to help." She turned to Inuyasha, who was helping Kagome up. "Inuyasha, ye and Kagome should go off and talk about this whole thing." With that, she walked off, Shippo riding on her shoulder.

Miroku and Sango started picking up the rubble and broken wood, with a little help from a half asleep Kirara. Kagome stood and began to walk towards the forest, Inuyasha close behind.

"How are you feeling?" Inuyasha asked, as soon as they entered the forest.

"Alright, I guess." Kagome kept walking, now in the direction of the well. "I think my fever is gone." As they reached the clearing by the well, Kagome fell to her knees.

Inuyasha ran up and kneeled down next to her. "You alright?"

"I ... I think so." He helped her to the edge of the well and the two of them sat, leaning their backs against it. "What was it?"

"What?"

"Back at the hut, what happened?"

Inuyasha gave a small sigh. "To make a long story short, your powers just about doubled." He paused and thought for a moment, remembering Kaede's question about the nightmare. "Just what was your nightmare about?"

Kagome told him about Naraku's appearance and how he was trying to force her into joining her. "Then the weirdest thing happened." She said pausing to think. "I can't really remember it that well though. I remember these weird lights, and some kind of vortex canceling the miasma. Naraku seemed a bit nervous and backed away from me. Everything went blank after that. Then I woke up."

"I'm guessing that your powers are getting to be too much for you to handle. That's why you caused that explosion at the hut. You were so scared that your emotions sort of just sent your powers out of place."

"I was NOT scared." Kagome huffed, trying to look very brave, yet angry.

"Oh, really." Inuyasha look at her with a slight smirk. "Did you forget that I can smell fear?" He said pointing to his nose. "I could tell that you were terrified."

Kagome blushed a bit. "Okay, you got me. I was scared out of my mind." She gave a big yawn, mentally kicking herself for being so tired after sleeping all night. She looked up. It was such a lovely morning; the birds were chirping and there was not a single cloud in the sky. She yawned again before scooting a bit foreword and leaning back a bit more against the well, bathing in the sun.

Inuyasha watched her, as she got comfortable and relaxed. She seemed so carefree and content. It wasn't long until he noticed her even breaths, signaling that she was sound asleep. He looked up at the cloudless sky, relishing the calmness of the day. He relaxed against the well with sigh. He wrapped his arms around Kagome's waist, bringing her into a light embrace. She automatically, almost out of instinct, snuggled into his chest and gave a content sigh. He smiled, enjoying the moment. _'She's in so much danger, yet she's so carefree.'_ He thought about everything that had happened, as he'd done so many times before. He thought back to what he told the others while Kagome was gone. _'I meant every word. I don't love Kikyo, nor do I think I ever did.'_ He gave a small sigh and finished his thoughts. _'I'm pretty sure that I'm in love with you, Kagome. The question is whether you love me in return or not.'_ With that he drifted into a light sleep.

* * *

"Finished." Miroku said as he nailed down the last wooden plank.

"Wow! The hut looks as good as new!" Shippo cheered, jumping up and around.

"Nice work everyone, and thank ye all for the help." Kaede said to the villagers and they went off on their business.

Sango sat in front of the hut petting Kirara. "I wonder what Kagome and Inuyasha are up to." She said thoughtfully.

"No need to worry about them." An all too familiar voice said from behind the hut.

Miroku tensed, knowing exactly who it was. "What are you here for Kagura!"

There was a gust of wind, as Kagura walked into the scene, her red eyes glimmering with mischief. "Oh, nothing. I thought I'd come here to see how you all are doing." She gave a rather stupid look. "Is that a crime?" She asked in mock innocence.

"I don't trust her." Shippo said, jumping onto Miroku's shoulder and giving Kagura his most evil glare.

"When she's here, it usually means that Naraku's after something." Sango added, grabbing her weapon.

"Oh, how upsetting this is. Don't you trust me?"

"No!" All three said in unison.

Kagura gave a small laugh. "Oh, well. I might as well kill you right now. You people are no fun anyway." Everyone tensed ready to fight. Even Shippo was ready to join in, if needed.

Kagura took out her fan, stirring the wind. The sky grew dark as the gales of wind blew stronger. Demons of all kinds began to gather around the hut, most likely under Kagura's control. "Now," She said calmly. "Shall we begin?" She gave a simple wave of her fan, and the battle began.

* * *

"No!" Kagome half screamed, waking Inuyasha up. She was panting and looking around frantically. _'I really hope that was just a bad dream.' _

"What's wrong, Kagome?" Inuyasha said, looking at her frightened expression.

Kagome got up and stretched out her legs, as she collected her thoughts. "It's nothing." She said, somewhat shakily. "Just a bad dream." She took a few steps towards the village. "I think we should be heading back to see the others.

"Uh, sure." Inuyasha said, knowing that there was something wrong. He got up and began to follow her back towards the village. He noticed the dark sky. "Strange. Did we sleep the entire day away?"

Kagome was about to answer, but before she could, she was overwhelmed with a pounding ache in her head. She gave a small moan and fell to her knees.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha kneeled next to her. "What's wrong?"

Kagome squeezed her eyes shut, as a strange vision began to appear before her. _'A hut… Kaede's hut; there are demons surrounding it… The others are fighting them off, but there are so many of them!'_ The hazed vision changed. She saw the gales and storm clouds. _'Someone standing on top of the hut, watching with amusement… Kagura!'_ "They're in trouble!" She stood and started to run, but was stopped by Inuyasha's hand on her shoulder.

"Who's in trouble? What's going on?"

"It's hard to explain, but the others need our help, now!" She tried to run again, but Inuyasha's grip was still firm. "Inuyasha!" She said, rather annoyed.

He kneeled in front of her, not bothering to look at her. "Hop on." She did as she was told and climb onto his back. With that done, they were off.

* * *

Naraku sat in his castle watching his enemies closely through a mirror-like object, nearly the same as Kanna's. "Good." He said to himself. "They've fallen into my trap." He changed the vision to Kagome. "You will be joining me, very soon, Kagome." With that he disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

A/N: I was thinking of stopping here, but I still have plenty of time.

* * *

As they entered the village, Kagome and Inuyasha saw the demons gathered at the hut. Inuyasha stopped and let Kagome slide off of his back. "Why are we stopping, Inuyasha?" She asked.

"You stay here, Kagome. It's too dangerous and you don't have any weapon. They've most likely been sent by Naraku and will be after you." He went up to a group of villagers. "Excuse me." He began.

"Well, if it isn't Inuyasha." One of the women said. "Do you know what's happening at Kaede's hut? A bunch of the village men went up to check it out."

"Yes, I know. The hut is under attack. I-"

"Well, why aren't you up there?!" She yelled angrily, making Inuyasha flatten his ears.

"I need someone to keep an eye on her." He answered, pointing towards Kagome. "She doesn't have any weapons or anything and those demons are apt to come after her."

"Say no more. We'll watch her, right everyone?" The group nodded in agreement.

"Thanks a lot, but be careful. She'll want to come along and help and she can be very tricky. She's probably planning an escape now."

"Don't worry. We'll keep a close eye on her." One of the men in the group said, staring at Kagome, as if to prove his point. With that, Inuyasha was off to help his friends.

"Hey!" Kagome, who was amazingly silent until then, cried, but Inuyasha was already gone. "Darn!"

"Come, now. Inuyasha will take care of everything." One of the women said. That was that. They all went about their business, taking turns on watching Kagome and watching out for stray demons from the fight.

Kagome stayed silent, watching their movement and being rather bored. She gave a small sigh. _'I hope they're all okay.'_ In her mind she went through various ideas on how to get away. She wanted an easy, uncomplicated way to get out. Then, it hit her. "I gotta go!"

"Go? Go where?" One of the women asked.

"You know. Go! – Bad!"

"Oh! Go! Well, if you got to go, you got to go. Make it fast." The group went back to what they were doing.

'_All right! It worked!'_ She thought as she ran off and hid behind a hut. She looked around to see if anyone was coming and ran in the direction of the fight. _'Too easy!'_

* * *

"Inuyasha, watch out!"

Too late. A group of demons tackled him, as he dodged one of Kagura's attacks. Miroku ran to his aid, while Sango and Kirara continued to fight other demons. Shippo used his foxfire to stave off the smaller ones, including Naraku's poisonous insects. Inuyasha fought through the horde of demons, racing to attack Kagura. Unsheathing the Tetsusaiga, he slashed at her.

"Missed!" Kagura said, dodging the attack and using her wind powers to blast him back. Small whirlwinds formed all around her, so Inuyasha couldn't use the Wind Scar.

Meanwhile, Kagome had been hiding not far away, watching everything that happened and worrying about her friends. She was looking for a way to help, but she didn't want to get caught and she didn't have a weapon of any kind. Snap! Something, or someone was behind her. A sick feeling came to her stomach. She had a good idea of who it was. She turned her head, only to look straight into a pair of dark eyes, a slight red glow hinted in them.

"N- Naraku." She said barely above a whisper. _'Why didn't I sense him coming, like I usually do?'_ She kept staring at him, too scared to even move. _'It must be one of his puppets!'_ She started to scream, but the puppet quickly covered her mouth and gave her a swift, hard punch in the stomach. She held her stomach, trying to catch her breath. The puppet gave an evil laugh, as it watched her fall to her knees, but soon was in shreds on the ground, when Kagome's powers started acting up. _'What's happening?'_ She thought, as she notice the light, slightly blue glow emanating from her body. She could now sense the actual Naraku coming her way. He was close, probably right behind her, but she couldn't move.

"I told you that you'd be joining me soon." A voice said behind her. She felt his arms wrap around her waist. "Now, are you going to come quietly?"

At those words, Kagome began to kick and scream, the glow around her becoming brighter. "Let me go!"

"Not likely." He said. "And, as for your powers," His eyes glowed a slight red.

'_What's happening to me'_ she thought, as she suddenly felt very weak. She fell limp into Naraku's arms, trying not to pass out. "I- Inuyasha, help." She called out weakly.

* * *

Kagura smirked. _'So, Naraku has the girl. My job is done.'_ She closed her fan and called the demons away. "I have no more need to fight."

"What?" Inuyasha stopped. He sniffed the air, trying to pick up a scent, now that the wind had settled. His heart nearly stopped at that moment. _'Kagome! It was all a-'_ "A trap!"

"What is it, Inuyasha?" Sango came up to him.

"This whole thing was a trick and we fell for it!" He sneered.

"He's right." Kagura stated. "And here's what we get out of it." A whirlwind of poison gas formed, revealing Naraku, who was holding someone in his arms.

"Kagome!" Everyone froze, starring in awe and horror.

"Let her go, Naraku!" Miroku hollered.

"Well, I would, but I am in need of her assistance. She's very strong and I could put her powers to very good use." He looked down at the semiconscious girl in his arms.

"Naraku, if you harm her in any way I'll-"

"You'll what, Inuyasha?" Naraku smirked, giving Kagome a small squeeze. "Besides, I'm not exactly hurting her. I'm merely getting her to use her powers." He glowed red, as he began to draw on Kagome's powers. She winced, feeling a slight bit of pain, as her strength was drained. "Let me give you a small demonstration." Naraku smirked, a large force exploding from him. Everything, including the hut was destroyed, but what about Inuyasha and the others?

Okay! So Kagome's been captured by Naraku. I told you I'd make this my longest chapter so far and, to tell you the truth, I don't intent to have a chapter that is any longer than this. My hand hurts from all of this typing. Oh well. I hope you enjoyed my story so far. I try to update again, at least by the end of the month. Bye for now!


	14. Explanations

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but that doesn't matter

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but that doesn't matter. What really matters is that I've finally updated the story. As you read in the last chapter, Kagome has been captured by Naraku. This chapter will explain some parts of this event.

_**Kagome's Pain**_

**Chapter 14**: Explanations

"Inuyasha!"

"Huh... What?"

"Inuyasha, snap out of it!" Shippo slapped him across the face one last time.

"Ugh. My head." Inuyasha sat up and looked around, trying to remember what happened. It was dark, probably around midnight. The hut was destroyed again, Miroku was helping Sango out from under some rubble, Shippo looked like he had just been crying, and he felt like he'd been hit by a ton of bricks. That's when he remembered all of it. _'Kagome...'_

"You alright Sango?" Miroku asked getting the last wooden plank off of her.

"Besides a pounding headache, I think I'll be fine." She slowly stood, taking a few steps before crumpling to the ground. "Ow!" She yelped, rubbing her ankle softly.

"You sprained your ankle." Miroku helped her to get up again. "Here, lean on me." She did as she was told and Miroku walked her off towards another hut.

"We will be able to stay at that hut until this one is rebuilt." Kaede said, from behind Inuyasha. "Come. I have something I need to explain to ye all."

"There's no time for this! We have to save Kagome!" Inuyasha sniffed the air, trying to pick up Kagome's scent. _'There! She's about two days of running to the east. Wait, Two days! Naraku must've used her to enhance his speed as well!'_ "I've picked up her scent. If we keep a fast pace, we should be there in two days."

"It will have to wait until morning, Inuyasha." Miroku stated calmly. "We need to make sure there was no extreme damage around here and we need our rest. Naraku is undoubtedly stronger because of his use of Kagome's powers. If we are to head out and fight Naraku, we'll have to be at full strength."

"Besides, Sango's sprained her ankle. She can't fight like that." Shippo added.

"I'll be fine." Sango said. "It's a small sprain. If we leave in the morning, I'll be in fighting condition by the time we get there. She looked at Inuyasha. "When you said it would take two days, did that include rest stops, or just flat out running until we got there?"

"Uhhhhh-"

"My thoughts exactly, so we'll take, at most, three days. I'm sure my ankle will be fine by then. I am a fast healer, you know."

"Fine! We'll leave first thing in the morning." Inuyasha said walking towards them. "But we'll have to move fast. There's no telling what could happen to Kagome if she stays with Naraku for long."

* * *

_'Ugh...my head.'_ Kagome thought, as she woke up, she didn't bother to open her eyes. She remembered everything that happened and was too afraid to do so. She was afraid of what might be there once she did open her eyes. She was leaned against what felt like a brick wall, her hands chained above her head. She tried to move, but soon regretted it. She winced as the shackles on her ankles began to cut through her skin. She readjusted herself to the way she had awoken, relieved that the sharp pain had ceased. It was cold and dank, and although she hadn't opened her eyes yet, she could tell she was in a dungeon of some kind.

"Ha. I see that you have awakened."

"Leave me alone, Naraku!" Kagome yelled out, finally opening her eyes.

Naraku merely laughed at her, noticing the fear in her voice. "Calm down. I won't kill you or anything like that."

"What do you want from me?" Kagome asked, trying her best not to seem scared.

Naraku walked and kneeled in front of her. He smirked when he sense her fear growing. He lifted a hand to her cheek, causing her to look up at him in confusion. "I said that I was in need of your assistance." He stood and walked off to a table in the corner. Kagome stretched out her neck to see what was up there. She saw nothing but bottles of...

_'Wait... What is that?'_ She thought, becoming more nervous. She moved to get a closer look, ignoring the pain it caused her. The bottles were about the size of soda cans, green, and she heard a slight fizz when Naraku opened one of them. He took the bottle to Kagome and kneeled in front of her again.

"Drink this." He said calmly. She stared at the bottle, still wondering what it was. "I know what you're thinking. Trust me. It's not poisoned." He put the bottle to her lips, which were squeezed tightly together. "It's going to help you recover. You've used a lot of energy within this passed day. Something tells me that you'll need all of your strength later on."

Kagome still refused. She didn't trust him in the least bit. She turned her head away from the bottle, giving Naraku an evil glare. "What is that stuff?" She asked.

"It's a special remedy that I made myself. It works wonders, believe me." He put the bottle to her lips again, but she simply turned her head again. "Don't make me force you." He said rather menacingly. He grabbed her chin and turned her head back to the bottle. "Drink it." He gave her jaw a firm squeeze, making her yip in both surprise and pain. He took this chance to pour nearly half the bottle of liquid into her mouth, quickly covering her mouth and nose to keep her from spitting it out.

Kagome gave a muffle whine, trying not to swallow the odd tasting drink. It fizzed in her mouth, reminding her of a soda, but she didn't trust it. She didn't know what it would do to her, but the need for air soon took over. She tried to ignore it and continued to hold her breath. She tried to move her head and free her nose from his grasp, so she could breathe. Naraku simply held a bit tighter. She began to feel lightheaded; everything was spinning before her eyes. She whimpered again and began to silently cry. She gave in to the need to breath and swallowed the drink. Naraku released her and she gasped for air.

"There we go. That wasn't so bad, was it?" He said smirking down at her.

Kagome continued gasp frantically, before calming herself down. As she did so, she suddenly felt rather tired. She relaxed; her eye's closing slightly. "Wha... What did you do to me? What was that stuff?"

"Don't worry. You'll be just fine in the morning." Naraku walked up to her and removed her chains and shackles.

"That doesn't answer my question"

"I answered it already." He said, picking her up and carrying her out of the dark and dank room. "It's just an herbal remedy to help your powers along. You used a lot of energy. That's why you're so tired. I'm surprised you haven't passed out already."

Kagome relaxed a bit more. She had the strangest feeling that she should believe him on this one. She still didn't trust him, though. She looked around, as Naraku carried her through the long and dark halls of the castle. _'This place is so big!'_ She thought, looking at how tall and wide the doors were. They passed at least ten rooms, before stopping. The set of doors before them were at least ten feet wide and nearly the same length in height. It was lined with gold, shining brightly in the dim light.

"This will be your room." Naraku said as he pushed the doors open.

"Wow." Kagome said, barely above a whisper. The room was beautiful; light pink satin curtains hung over large windows, a large closet, filled with some of the most beautiful kimonos she had ever seen, and a queen-sized bed that was probably fit for and actual queen. The entire room was aglow with the candlelight, only enhancing its beauty.

Naraku set her on the bed, letting her snuggle sleepily into the sheets. "Get some rest. You have a long day ahead of you." He blew out the candle and walked out of the room.

_'What am I going to do?'_ Kagome thought as she hugged her pillow close to her, staring into the darkness. She thought about what happened before she was taken to the castle. She remembered hearing Inuyasha's voice, but was too out of it to even open her eyes. She remembered how Naraku had drained her energy to use against her friends. _'I hope they're alright.'_  
"Okay." Inuyasha said impatiently. "Start explaining Kaede." They sat in a new hut, the sun just starting to rise.

* * *

Kaede sat in the hut looking at the others. "Well, ye all know that Kagome's powers have grown. According to what Inuyasha has told us about her dream, it would seem that her powers have grown too quickly and she cannot handle it."

"I think I'm catching on to this." Miroku said thoughtfully. "Her powers grew so suddenly, her body hasn't had the time to adjust. It's too much pressure for her."

"I get it." Inuyasha added. "That's why she's always so tired lately. Her body is overworking itself to keep her powers in check."

"Inuyasha, according to what ye said, the dream caused her great fear. Her emotions are what sprung her powers into action. Fear, anger, deep emotions such as those can cause her to lose control of her powers. That is what happened yesterday. She will need training. Without it, she could destroy everything near her, and possibly kill herself."

Sango and Shippo gasped at the thought of Kagome being that powerful. Sango began to worry a bit more as she thought about the situation. "Naraku said the he could use her powers. Does this mean he's more powerful than before?"

"Ay. I'm afraid so, Sango. Ye all must be aware of this. Be on your guard, for Naraku is now more formidable than ever."

"One more thing Kaede." Inuyasha said, looking at the ground thoughtfully. "Kagome mentioned something about strange voices in her dreams. What does that mean?"

"Hmmm. I am not sure, very interesting though. Her powers must have something to do with it. Ye can go ahead and find Kagome. I will look further into the subject while ye are gone."

"Fine." Inuyahsa said as he stood. "Let's go." He looked down at Shippo. "You stay here, alright?"

Shippo shook his head. "No! I'm going with you and helping to save Kagome!"

"Shippo, it would be best if you stay where it's safe." Sango said, looking at him sincerely.

"No! My mind is made up. I'm going to help!" He gave his best look of determination and bravery to put emphasis to what he said. Miroku gave a small sigh of frustration.

"Shippo, we will let you come, but you must be very careful."

Shippo gave a small yip of happiness and ran over to Kirara, who was transformed and ready for battle. "Let's go!!"

* * *

Kagome woke up to the bright sun shinning in her eyes. _'When did I fall asleep?'_ She thought about what happened the night before. _'Inuyasha...'_ She remembered how Naraku had drawn her strength during his fight against the others._ 'I hope they're all okay.'_

"You're awake." A voice said from behind her. Kagome gasped and turned her head, only to meet with the red eyes of Naraku. She froze, not knowing what to do. "Good." He handed her some clothes. "Change into these. I'll be waiting outside the door." He walked out of the room, leaving her to gawk and glare at his retreating form.

Kagome sighed. "Now what?" She looked at the clothes she was given. It was a two-pieced, red kimono, with pink and white roses designed on the front and back. The top was buttoned closed by gold flowers, adding to the beauty of it. The bottom half was designed more like a pair of shorts, a small split neatly placed on each side, just above the hem. Kagome looked the outfit over a few times. _'This uniform reminds me of something, but what?'_ She quickly changed into the clothes, looking over herself when she was done. _'Now I remember! I saw a uniform a lot like this in one of Souta's video games.. This is almost like the uniform that swordswoman wore…Wait a second...'_ There was knock on the door, startling her out of her thoughts.

"Are you done?" she heard Naraku's voice say from outside.

"Uh... Yeah." She looked towards the door, watching Naraku, as he walked into the room. He was still in his usual outfit, behind the mask of a baboon.

"Good." He said turning around and heading back to the door. "Follow me." He walked out, knowing that she had no choice other than to do as she was told. He walked through the large halls, Kagome close behind him. They made a few turns, here and there.

"Where are you taking me?" Kagome said, hoping to get some answers. She didn't. All she got was silence. "Hey! I asked a question. You could at least give me an answer." she said, becoming rather irritated. Naraku gave a small, disdainful growl, too low for her to hear. Kagome didn't really like being ignored like this. '_If_ _he's going to hold me captive, he could at least show a little consideration to my questions.'_ She glared at Naraku as they made another right. They'd been walking for a while now, this castle was more of a maze; she lost track of where they were and how many turns they made. Kagome sighed in frustration, watching as Naraku began to speed up. "Hey! Wait! Where are we going?" He didn't answer. He merely made a swift turn to the right, far ahead of her. "Wait! Don't just leave me here!" She yelled, running towards the corner. She peaked around to find the hall empty. "Hello? Naraku, are you there?" She began to walk through the hall, looking to see what she could find. _'Just great; he left me here. Now I'm lost in this stupid maze.'_ She began to walk back in the direction she came, hoping to remember where she had turned. "That jerk." She huffed, as she made the last turn that she could recognize. The halls were so silent, not to mention big. She wondered if she would be able to find a way out.

* * *

"Inuyasha, slow down!" Miroku called from Kirara's back, as Inuyasha sped far ahead.

"We don't have time! I have a bad feeling that Kagome really needs us now!" He said moving faster. _'I hope she's alright...'_

"I don't believe this!" Kagome yelled, her voice echoing through the halls of Naraku's castle. She was hopelessly lost by now, but she'd continued to wander around for almost an hour. "How could that creep just leave me here like this!" she growled out in frustration. "If I ever get out of here I'll- "

Before she could finish her sentence she found herself knocked against the wall, the wind knocked out of her. "You'll what?" Naraku said, holding her tightly against the wall. She could see the anger in his eyes, not to mention hear it in his voice. Kagome managed to catch her breath and began to struggle, her feet not touching the ground. "You'll do nothing, because you're not going to leave this place." He hissed, pushing her harder against the wall. "I suggest that you learn some respect and hold your tongue when talking to or about me." Kagome looked down at him in pure terror. "Do I make myself clear?" He said in a low, menacing voice.

Kagome didn't say a thing. She started kicking again and screamed with all her might. "Put me down!"

Naraku wrapped a hand around her throat, stopping her screaming and making it hard for her to even breathe. "Answer me!"

Kagome gasped for breath, fearing what he would do next, if she didn't do as told. "Okay! I get the point! I'm sorry!" She choked out. Naraku dropped her to the ground, somewhat satisfied with the answer he received.

"You will do as you are told, without complaints, or there will be consequences."

"Yes, Naraku." She answered in a low voice, on the brink of tears.

"Good. Now follow me. Your training is about to begin."

"Taining? For what?"

"To help you keep control over your powers. I wouldn't want you losing control and destroying my castle." He stalked over to a large door, signaling for her to follow.

Kagome followed, as instructed. As she walked into the room, she looked around. There wasn't anything of interest to her. The room was extremely large and there were a few weapons hanging on the wall here and there, but other than that it was empty. Kagome looked towards the weapons. There were a few swords, a rod that reminded her a lot of Miroku's staff, and a set of bows and arrows. Naraku walked over and grabbed a bow and some arrows, tossing them to Kagome.

"Now, shall we begin?"

* * *

I'll have to stop there. I don't have time for more. I hope this didn't bore anyone, but oh well. I'll be starting my next chapter some time soon. I'll try to be finished by June 18, at the earliest. I promise that it will be a bit more interesting the next chapter. I hope I don't get too much at school before then. I don't even finish school until June 23. Bye for now

* * *


	15. Finaly There

Kagome's Pain

_**Kagome's Pain**_

**Chapter15**: Finally There

"Inuyasha?" Shippo asked looking up at the night sky.

"What?"

"How long do we have until we get there?"

"At this rate, we'll be there by tomorrow evening." Inuyasha looked over towards the young child, who was sitting in Kagome's sleeping bag alone. Shippo looked as if he was about to cry. "Don't worry, Shippo. We'll get her back."

Shippo gave a small nod, rubbing the tears away from his eyes. He snuggled into the sleeping bag, breathing in Kagome's sent to calm down and get some sleep.

Inuyasha stayed up for hours longer, watching as the sun began to rise. He sniffed the air for Kagome's scent. They were now close enough for him to pick up on her emotions. He smelled fear. _'Big surprise.'_ He took another whiff, giving a small, angry growl. _'She's in pain. I can smell the blood. Just wait until I gat my hands on you, Naraku.'_ He thought angrily. _'Kagome had better be okay, or you'll wish you've never laid eyes on her.'_

* * *

"Ow!" Kagome yelped as she hit the ground. She had several cuts on her right leg and arm that were beginning to bleed slightly.

"You let your guard down." Naraku stated. He was wearing his usual outfit, but did not bother with his mask. The furs were singed, from dodging Kagome's arrows, and the outfit itself was torn in several places. "Always be alert during a battle." He looked at her scornfully. "Get up. We're not finished."

Kagome stood, quickly preparing to fire an arrow. Naraku moved around quickly, not using his full strength in order to make things easier for her. She took aim and fired. Her arrow glowed brightly as it flew towards Naraku's right shoulder, but, just before it could hit, he dodged, running towards her. Kagome saw this and rushed to fire another arrow but failed once again to actually strike him. He stood right in front of her and, with one swift punch in her stomach, knocking her to the wall.

"Kagome gasped to catch her breath, holding her hands over her stomach in pain. "Uugghh" she groaned out, slowly sitting up. She saw Naraku's hand out in front of her, offering to help her up. She took his offer and was roughly pulled into his arms. She merely whimpered her protest, too tired and weak to struggle against him.

"You did well today." He said into her ear, walking her out of the training room. "You've improved a bit over the passed two days." Kagome stayed silent, trying to keep from collapsing. Naraku, noticing this, picked her up carrying her the rest of the way. "I'm guessing that you'll want to sleep through breakfast." He said as he walked into her room. Kagome gave a large, exhausted yawn as her answer. "Very well. You've earned a rest. I'll be in to wake you up later on. We'll be having guests this evening."

_'Guests?'_ Kagome thought as she watched him leave. _'Who could be coming here this evening... Duh, my friends, of course. Wait. If he knows about them already, then he must have some kind of trap set for them by now.' _She tried to sit up, whimpering in pain from her cuts, bruises, and aching muscles. _'I have to find out what he's scheming.'_ She managed to stand, despite the pain she was in, and began to limp towards the door. She felt dizzy and lightheaded as she opened the door, but that wasn't going to stop her. Just as she walked into the hall, she heard a voice.

"I had a feeling that you'd get curious."

"Naraku" She said weakly. He appeared in front of her, wearing new furs and smirking down at her. She continued, "Who exactly are these guests you speak of?"

"I think you know the answer to that question."

"My Friends?" Naraku smirk widened a bit. Kagome had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Naraku, what are you planning to do when they get here."

"If they try to fight, they will die." That was all he had to say. Kagome began to cry, tears rolling down her cheeks. She fell to her knees out of grief, pain, and dizziness. Her eyes burned and she had a pounding headache, a sick feeling came to her stomach, she was about to pass out. Naraku kneel in front of her, pulling her into a light embrace.

"Let GO!" She screamed, kicking her legs about and pounding his chest. He only tightened his grip. "I swear if you do anything to hurt them I'll..."

"You'll what?" Naraku asked coldly. "Answer me. What would you do? What can you do?" Kagome ignored him and continued to kick and fight him off. Naraku finally got frustrated and let her go. Kagome began to crawl away, but was grabbed by the shoulder and turned around. Naraku slapped her across the face, with the backside of his hand, hard. Kagome fell to the side with the force of the slap. She stayed there, silent. "Answer me!" He yelled angrily. "What would you do?!"

"I... I..."

"Well?"

"I... I...don't know." She said with a sob, still lying on the ground. "But I can't just sit here and let them get hurt!" Her voice softened to a whisper. "I'd rather give my own life than let them risk theirs."

* * *

"Inuyasha, I see the castle!" Sango yelled.

"Good. Naraku probably knows that we're here already, so be on your guard everyone."

"Right."

They all began running towards the castle, expecting demons to start popping out at them. Nothing. Nothing came. There were no demons or even a barrier guarding the castle. Inuyasha took a few sniffs for any unfamiliar scents. 'Strange, Kagome and Naraku are the only ones here.' They entered the castle, amazed at the vast number of long halls.

"Just how big is this place?" Shippo said with astonishment. "How are we going to find Kagome in time!"

"Easy I'll sniff her out." Inuyasha stated simply. He followed their scents through three halls before stopping at a large wooden door. They opened the door to find Naraku standing in the center of an extremely large, empty room.

"Inuyasha, so nice of you to come."

"Where is she!"

"Who?"

"Don't play stupid with me! Where's Kagome!"

"Temper, Inuyasha." Naraku said mockingly. "She's fine. She'll be here in a few minutes."

Sorry, but I have to stop no time to do more. I'll be back within about a week.


	16. Easy Escape

Disclaimer: I told you I'd update in a week. Okay, This chapter hasn't really been planned out properly so you'll have to pay attention. Don't forget to pay close attention to what happens between Kagome and Inuyasha, and Sango and Miroku.

_**Kagome's Pain**_

_**  
**_  
**Chapter 16**: Easy Escape

Kagome walked through the endless halls, dreading what awaited her. She was wearing a new training uniform, her bow in one hand, an arrow in the other, more arrows in the case draped over her shoulder. She also had a sword strapped to her waist. Naraku had it made just for her to use in training, although, she didn't use it much. It was just like any average sword, but the handle had been a bit decorated with red and whit flowers. Her wounds from training have all miraculously healed, thanks to Naraku's enchantments and spells. The only thing bothering her was the one bruise on her left cheek, right where Naraku had slapped her earlier. She guessed that he kept that there to remind her not to try anything rash when her friends arrived.

She was to show the others all that she had learned within the passed two days, but that wasn't what bothered her. She was more worried about Inuyasha. If he picks a fight with Naraku, who knows what will happen. She gave a small sigh of frustration. "What am I going to do?" She thought out loud.

She walked into a large room to find Naraku standing there. "I'm here." She said sadly, bowing her head respectfully.

"Kagome!" she heard an, all too familiar, voice call. Her Face lit up with happiness as she looked at Inuyasha and her friends, standing on the other end of the room.

"Inuyasha!" She said happily. She took a step towards her friends, but saw how Naraku was staring at her. She quickly stopped and simply bowed her head to her friends. This disturbed them a bit, but they did not say anything about it.

"Kagome," Inuyasha said running towards her.

"Stay back!" Kagome screamed.

Inuyahsa a stopped in his tracks, hurt by Kagome's plea. He turned angrily to Naraku. "What did you do to her?"

"I merely put her through training."

"Then why is she acting like she's afraid of you, and what kind of training did you put her through?"

"All I did was demand respect for letting her stay here. As for the training, it was just to help her with her powers."

"I am to show you what progress I made over the time." Kagome said meekly.

Her friends stared at her, wondering what could have made her so shy and weak.

The rest of you will stand aside and this will be just like one of our training sessions." Naraku said, looking at them with a smirk.

They all stood there, Sango looking sadly at Kagome, along with Shippo, who was clinging to her leg. Kirara sat staring at Naraku, as if to be trying to find a chance to attack him. Miroku stood next to Sango, who held his hand tightly for support. She just wanted to break down and cry. She wanted to get Kagome out of this place. Inuyasha stood away from the others, sending menacing stares towards Naraku. He, too, was waiting for a chance to attack him.

"Now," Naraku said calmly. "Let's begin." He moved around quickly, as Kagome notched an arrow. She took careful aim before firing. The arrow glowed in an intense light, speeding towards Naraku's shoulder. Naraku jumped out of the way, racing towards Kagome. Kagome quickly fired another arrow, missing him again. He drew out his sword racing even closer. Kagome gasped and took her sword into her hands.

"Kagome" Sango yelled, fearing for her close friend. She squeezed Miroku's hand a bit more tightly, wanting to step in and fight Naraku herself.

Kagome brought her sword up just in time to stop Naraku's attack. Naraku simply jumped back and attacked again and again. Kagome was able to block each attack, but couldn't get in any attacks of her own. She felt her feet being swept from under her. She fell to the ground with a large THUD.

Inuyasha gave a low growl, becoming even angrier, if that was possible.

"Don't let your guard down." Naraku said, as he rushed towards her again. Kagome, knowing that she couldn't dodge, or block, the attack in time, began to panic. She gave a small scream as she squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the blow. It never came, she heard a faint yell of pain, which sounded a lot like Naraku, and several gasps. She slowly opened her eyes.

"Wow!" she said, barely above a whisper. Naraku, who turned out to be merely a puppet, was split into two pieces and spread out on the other end of the room. She looked towards her friends, who were gawking at her, as if she'd just grown an extra head or something. "Umm" she started. "How did I do that?"

None of them answered, still too shocked at what they saw. Kagome kept looking towards what was left of the puppets body, wondering how she was able to destroy it like that. She began to stand, but quickly fell back to her knees. She gave a small groan, as a surge of pain ran through her. Inuyasha, ran up to her, pretty sure of what was wrong.

* * *

"I'll teach her to resist me like that," Naraku said bitterly from his **real** castle.

* * *

I have to stop there. I'll try updating in a week. Bye for now. .


	17. What to do?

Disclaimer: I can't believe that I'm finally updating! I'm sorry it took so long, but I was having some technical difficulties. A virus had gotten into my computer somehow, but it's gone now and I can move on. As you all know, I don't own Inuyasha. Now, Let's get on with the story!!

_**Kagome's Pain**_

**Chapter17**: What to do?

"Kagome, say something!" Inuyasha said to the semiconscious girl in his arms.

Kagome looked up at him, smiling slightly, before fainting.

"Kagome." Inuyasha said, glad to see that she was going to be okay. He stood, holding her close, and turn to the others. "She'll be fine. She's just tired."

"Thank goodness." Sango said with a sigh, finally letting go of Miroku's hand. "It's a relief to have her back safely."

"Yay!" Shippo yelped happily. He was forgotten until that moment, for he had been hiding behind Kirara throughout the entire thing. He jumped onto Inuyasha's shoulder and then onto Kagome. He gave her the biggest hug he could as her arms instinctively wrapped around him. "Glad you're back with us Kagome." He said quietly, just before falling asleep.

"Kagome."

"Huh?" Kagome opened her eyes to find darkness. "Oh no."

"Kagome." Several voices said at once, and then soon began to scatter. "Look out! They're coming!"

"Who's coming? Who are you?" The voices became loud and torturous, just as they did each time before. "Will you just be quiet!" She yelled, squeezing her eyes shut. The voices died, but, just as soon as she relaxed, a surge of pain ran through her body, beginning and ending just below her ribs. She gave a groan of pain and annoyance, as she fell to the ground. The pain dulled a bit, but Kagome decided not to move.

"Kagome" she heard Inuyasha's voice call to her. She felt a soothing touch on her ribs. "Kagome." she heard Inuyasha say again.

"Inu...yasha" She said quietly as she opened her eyes. She was greeted first by golden eyes, and as her vision cleared she looked around. She was back at Kaede's hut, safely tucked into Inuyasha's arms. Shippo was sleeping on the other side of the room. Miroku and Sango were nowhere in sight.

"It's about time you've woken up." Inuyasha said with a smile. "You slept the whole way home and through half of the day."

"How long is that exactly?"

"Including the half a day you slept today, three days."

"Three days!" _'Wow. That dream didn't seem to be more than ten minutes.'_ "Inuyasha..."

"Huh?"

"Um... What exactly happened? I mean, how did we escape?"

"What?" Inuyasha stared at her with astonishment. "You don't remember?!"

Kagome looked down to her hands. "I'm not sure. It all happened so fast, I'm not sure if it was just a dream."

"How much do you remember?"

"The last thing I remember is seeing Naraku rushing towards me." She sat there still thinking. "Oh! Then I saw him split in two and lying on the ground. I don't know what caused that to happen."

Inuyasha gave a sigh as he explained everything that had happened; how her energy had blasted from her and through Naraku; how shocked he was to find that she was so strong. "I'm very impress with how much power you've gained access to." he said. "Now you just have to learn how to control it."

"How am I supposed to do that? I'm so tired lately, that it's all I can do to sit up." Kagome gave a small aggravated sigh.

Inuyasha looked at her, thinking of what he could do to help. "Kagome?"

"Huh?"

"I was wondering..." He paused thinking about what he was going to ask. "When you loose control of your powers, what kind of emotions exactly do you feel?"

"Uhhhh... What?"

"I mean, what kind of emotions usually trigger it."

"Oh! Well... It usually happens when I'm scared or feel helpless." She thought a bit more about the times this had happened. "It did happen once when I was really angry."

"Hmmm... So Kaede was right." Kagome looked at him profusely, wondering what he was talking about. "Kaede explained that when you felt strong emotions, such as fear or anger, your powers just, sort of, take over."

"So, that's how I end up doing all of those things?"

"Pretty much."

They sat in silence thinking about the situation they were in. Suddenly they heard a loud smack coming from outside the hut. Sango came storming in, her face flushed with anger and her eyes seemed to flare menacingly. Miroku walked in soon after, a bright red mark on is cheek, in the shape of Sango's hand.

"Not again!" Kagome and Inuyasha complained.

Inuyasha glared at Miroku. "Miroku, when are you gonna learn some self control."

"What makes you think I did anything?"

"Sango slapped you. What more reason could there be?" Kagome looked at Miroku, simply wondering what to do to him for getting Sango so upset.

Miroku sat near the door, while he watched Sango disappear into the next room. "All I did was ask what was bothering her, and she slapped me."

Kagome looked at him a bit more, determining whether he was telling the truth or not. She really couldn't tell. Miroku could make things so convincing sometimes. After listening to Inuyasha's interrogation of Miroku she soon decided she should talk to Sango about it. She stood slowly, stretching her legs out to get used to walking around. Inuyasha quickly stopped his interrogation to see what Kagome was up to.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm tired of just sitting around all day. If I'm gonna get started on my training, I'll have to be able to walk. I might as well start getting my exorcise, now."

"Are you sure you should be walking around right now?" Miroku said, happy to have a stop to his situation.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Kagome answered, taking a few steps toward the door Sango left through. "Besides, someone has to go calm Sango down." With that said, she walked out the door.

"Back to business." Inuyasha said giving Miroku an evil glare. Miroku sighed.

"Come off it, Inuyasha! I didn't do anything!"

"Fine. I'll just get the details from Kagome later. Right now, there's a favor I'd like to ask of you."

"Huh?" Miroku looked at him, wonder what he could possibly want.

"Kagome and I were talking about her powers, and I figure she could use some training to help her keep control of her powers. I was hoping that you or Kaede could help her with that."

"Hmm" Miroku thought it over a bit. "It won't be easy, but I think Kaede and I could handle it. She will need help with her physical strength, though. I think you should be the one to take care of that."

"Uhh... Why me? Wouldn't you be able to do that just as well?"

"Trust me. You should do it?"

"You could at least tell me why."

"Well..." Miroku dragged out, giving Inuyasha an all-knowing look. "I couldn't help but to notice how content the two of you seem together. In fact, besides the time Naraku had kidnapped her, the two of you had never been apart since the situation started."

"Where are you gettin' at with this Miroku?"

"Man, you're dense! I thought you'd get it by now! Training is the perfect chance for the two of you to spend some alone time without the rest of us interrupting. It's obvious that the two of you like each other, so why not have some time to build a bit more chemistry between you. "

Inuyasha sat, thinking this over for a few minutes. _'Miroku has a point there. It would be nice to spend more time alone with her and, hopefully, at those times she'll be a bit more energetic. Just sitting around trying to figure out what to do has been rather depressing.'_ "Alright, I'll do it." he said simply.

"Good choice." Miroku said. Just then Kagome walked in, glaring at Miroku even more menacingly than before.

"Uhhh... What did she say?" Miroku asked nervously.

"Sango said that you were off being your usual self again. Here's a word of advice." She walked up to him still glaring. "I can tell that you have a thing for Sango. If you want to win her over, you'll have to stop being such a pervert and stop flirting with so many women." With that she, sat back on the other side of the room to talk with Shippo, who had woken up just then.

Inuyasha looked at her. "Kagome."

"Yeah?"

"Miroku and I were talking and we figured we could train you to help with your powers. Miroku and Kaede would help to keep control, and I'll take care of physical training, so you'll be strong enough to handle your new abilities. Is that okay with you?"

Kagome pondered over what he said, a smile slowly appearing one her face. "Sounds good to me. When do we start?"

"Tomorrow." Miroku said with a yawn. "It's to late to start today."

"Tomorrow it is." Kagome said. "I can't wait."

* * *

Okay that's it for now. Now I'm not sure when I'll update next, but It won't be soon. I have Softball camp for three days, starting Monday. Then I'll start band camp. Some summer I'm having. I hardly have any free time any more. Oh well. I'll update as soon as I can. Bye for now.


	18. Training

**Disclaimer****:** It's been so long since I've updated my story! I have a lot of catching up to do so let's just move on to this chapter.

_**Kagome's Pain**_

**Chapter 18****: Training**

"Kagome... Kagome, wake up." Inuyasha shook her lightly.

"Hmf" came a muffled complaint from under Kagome's blanket.

"Get up, Kagome" he said nudging her a bit more.

Kagome finally sat up, glaring at Inuyasha sleepily. She looked around with half opened eyes and looked out the window of the hut to find that it was still dark, the moon, starting to sink over the horizon. Stars shimmered in the sky. "Inuyasha" she complained. "What's the big idea, waking me up so early? The sun isn't even out yet."

"Exactly." he said, pulling her out of her sleeping bag. "It's a good time to start the physical part of your training."

"Can't it wait?" she groaned.

"Oh, so you want to do all of that running and hard work under the hot sun?" he said, know that would get her going. Kagome opened her eyes all the way. She hadn't thought of that.

"Okay, you have a point there." She got up and went over to her bag, pulling out an outfit she had picked out for training yesterday. She went to the next room and quickly changed into a pair of black shorts and an old, navy blue, shirt that seemed too be to big for her. The sleeves went half way down her arms and the shirt itself went lower than her shorts, nearly covering her knees.

"What's with that shirt?" Inuyasha asked curiously.

"It's the only shirt I found that was old but still good enough to wear for training." She stated simply as she walked passed him and out of the hut. Inuyasha quickly followed. "So," she asked. "What do we do first?"

"First we warm up with a jog around the village." He turned and began to jog towards the river. "Come on!"

"Something tells me it's gonna be a long day." Kagome said to herself as she trudged along behind Inuyasha.

* * *

The sun was just beginning to show over the horizon. Sango woke up to the sound of Kagome's complaining voice.

"Inuyasha, wait. I wasn't ready."

"Huh?" Sango stood, curiously walking towards the door to see what was going on. She looked to find Kagome sitting on the ground rubbing a small lump on her head.

"Oww." She whined.

"Come on Kagome. You're never gonna catch me at this rate." Inuyasha yelled over to her.

"Give me a break would you? I've been chasing you around for an hour." Kagome continued to rub her head. Inuyasha noticed this.

"I didn't hit you that hard."

"Yes you did."

"Did not." Inuyasha said mockingly.

"Did to!" Kagome said angrily.

Inuyasha gave a small sigh and began walking towards her. "Here, let me have a look." He kneeled in front of her, looking at the bump on her forehead that had a slight print in the form of his fist. When he had hit her, he was just playing around. Trying to see if she can take a punch. _'Oops'_ he thought. _'I guess I should've taken it a bit easier on her.'_ As he thought this he didn't notice the smirk spreading across Kagome's face.

"Got ya." She laughed as she pounced out at him, tackling him to the ground. She had to admit that punch to the forehead did hurt, but not as much as she made it seem. She new that it would lure him close enough to catch him.

"That was a dirty trick." Inuyasha laughed out, as sat up and looked down at her.

"Well, it worked didn't it?" She got off of him and sat next to him. "Now, you promised we could have a break once I caught you."

"Yup, I did. A promise is a promise. You can go in and relax if you want."

Kagome smiled, about to say something when she finally noticed Sango watching. "Oh, hey Sango!"

"Hi!" Sango said happily. "How long have you two been up?"

Kagome stopped to think about when they woke up. "Let's see. We spent about half an hour jogging around town, then another hour and a half working on fist fighting, and now, we just finished an hour of me trying to catch him. We've been up for about three hours."

"Three hours! You got up that early?!" Sango was rather shocked to say the least.

"Yeah and I think I did rather wel... oh no." Kagome stuttered at the end of her sentence.

"Huh?" Sango got rather confused. She heard Inuyasha give a low growl. "What's wrong?" She soon got her answer as a whirlwind headed towards Kagome. Kagome was swiftly lifted into the air being spun a bit by the whirlwind. "Oh boy." Sango said with a sigh.

"Kagome!" The voice of Koga rang out as he came out of the whirlwind, holding a very dizzy Kagome in his arms. "It's so nice to see you again!"

Kagome was rather surprised to say the least._ 'Is he up to something?'_ She thought as his grip only tightened around her. "Nice to see you too, Koga." She said with a rather bored tone. "What brings you here today?" Her voice was now a little shaky as she tried to ignore how tight his arms were around her waist.

"How are you feeling? Are you still upset with that mutt?"

"Hey!" Inuyasha said in protest to being called names.

"I'm just fine Koga. Could you please but me down now?" As soon as her feet touched the ground Kagome backed away giving a friendly smile. "So, why are you here?"

"I came to check on things." Koga said proudly.

"Thanks for your concern. As you can see everything's just fine."

"Are you sure? Judging by the scent around here I can tell that there has been a lot of stress." Kagome froze, as he gave another whiff of the air around him. "Not to mention fear and depression."

'_He can actually tell __**all**__ of that by scent?'_ Kagome thought. "Uhhh... Well... You see... It goes like this." Kagome explained everything that had happened, from the time she first time she passed out to Naraku's spell, before Koga interrupted.

"What!"

"Calm down and let me finish Koga." Koga stayed silent for the rest of the story, aside from several annoyed grows that he gave during the part where Naraku had kidnapped her. "And now, I'm in training to get control over my powers." She finished.

"Yup and your breaks over Kagome." Inuyasha said. "You still didn't finish."

"But I caught you!"

"You tricked me."

"So? You didn't say that was against the rules."

"It goes without saying. You're supposed to catch me fair and square."

Kagome grumbled a bit before agreeing and pouncing at Inuyasha. Inuyasha quickly avoided her and the chase began.

After an hour, Inuyasha decided to let her catch him so they could stop and eat. Everyone gathered at the center of the hut, as food was passed around. Koga, who wasn't particularly happy about how friendly Inuyasha and Kagome were being towards each other, sat between them to make sure they didn't even look towards each other much. Inuyasha knew what he was up to, but decided not to say anything about it. The last thing he wanted at the moment was to start a fight with Koga. It was not that he was afraid to fight him. It was what Kagome might've done to him afterwards if he did start something that scared him.

"Inuyasha?"

"Huh?" He looked down at Shippo.

"Is it me, or is Koga acting rather jealous about something?"

"Trust me, it's not just you." It was very obvious that Koga was trying to keep Kagome and Inuyasha apart.

"Kagome, after breakfast, would you like start your training with me and Kaede?" Miroku asked.

"Sure." Kagome said. "As long as Shippo and Sango can come along."

Once everyone had finished eating, Kagome, along with Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kaede, set out towards the river to begin the second half of her training. Koga had left, being uninterested in the whole thing, now that she wasn't hanging around with Inuyasha.

"I'll catch up in a bit." Inuyasha said, walking towards the forest.

"Okay." Kagome said, hiding the sad tint in her voice. A qualm feeling came over her as she sensed someone familiar. _'Inuyasha must've noticed her too.'_ She thought. Inuyasha was going to meet Kikyo.

* * *

That's enough. I'm done for now. I'll try to up date by next week, but it will be hard to do with my busy schedule.


	19. Stop Kikyo!

Disclaimer: I can't believe that I already have four projects after only two full weeks of school

Disclaimer: I can't believe that I already have four projects after only two full weeks of school. Oh well. Now let's get this story started.

_**Kagome's Pain**_

**Chapter 19: **Stop Kikyo!

"Kikyo!" Inuyasha called out, standing in a small clearing in the forest. "I know you're here."

Kikyo came out from the bushes, giving her usual cold stare. "Hello, Inuyasha."

"Why are you here?"

"Are you not happy to see me, to know that I am well."

"Save it. Tell me why you're here."

"To see if you'll be cooperating with my plans."

Inuyasha remembered the plan Kikyo had explained to him. "No."

"What?" Kikyo seem rather angry about what he said.

"No. I won't cooperate with this."

Kikyo's stare grew colder. "Oh? And why not?"

"I don't agree with your methods. I don't see the point in killing Kagome."

"Why do you even care for that wretch?" Kikyo began walking towards him. "Do you not remember the promise you made to me?" Inuyasha simply stared. "You promised you'd be with me, that you would follow me to the depths of hell?"

"I know, but when I promised to protect and follow you, I didn't say I'd help you kill an innocent girl."

"Her? Innocent? Don't make me laugh!" Kikyo said angrily. Her harsh voice sent shivers up Inuyasha's spine. "That wretch is nothing but an ignorant copy of who I once was. She has stolen everything from me; my soul, my life. She seems to be trying to steal you as well. The so-called 'Innocent' Kagome is just a-"

"Stop!" Inuyasha hollered. Kikyo froze, somewhat surprised at his outburst.

* * *

Kagome sat next to the river, soaking wet, concentrating on a pale of water, being held by Kaede. Splash!! The water didn't wash over Kagome like it did so many times before. Instead it , evaporated in a barrier that surrounded her.

"Hey! I did it! I put up my very first barrier she yelled happily."

"Great job Kagome." Miroku said. "Now we have to work on strengthening it."

"Kagome?" Shippo peeped up at her.

"Huh?"

"Why aren't you wearing that training uniform you had on before?"

"Uhhh..." No one else had even thought about that at all.

"Speaking of that uniform," Sango cut in. "What was up with that sword?"

"We've been up here training for all of this time and you guys are just now thinking of all this?" Kagome said with a laugh.

"We were focused on other things." Miroku said. "So, what did Naraku teach you using that sword?"

"Not much. You know how I usually focus my energy through arrows during battle. Well, He was teaching me to concentrate my energy through the sword. I wasn't doing very well though."

"Oh." Kaede said. "Perhaps you should practice that every now and then. It could come in handy during close combat."

"Maybe..." Kagome said with a smile. Her smile faded quickly though.

"Kagome?" Sango said questioningly. "You okay?"

She didn't answer. There was no need to. The pain expression on her face told it all. She gave a small groan as she bent over, holding her sides.

"Oh no!" Shippo yelled out.

Kagome's breath hitched as surges of pain ran through her body. The pain soon became unbearable. She gave an ear-shattering scream before passing out.

* * *

"Kikyo, you're wrong." Inuyasha said calmly.

"What?"

"Kagome is the purest, kindest person I've ever met."

Kikyo gave an angry huff of disapproval. "I knew it! You've fallen in love with that wretch!"

"Kikyo, listen to me!" Inuyasha began, but was cut off by a loud scream. "That was Kagome's voice!"

Kikyo laughed. "I had come prepared Inuyasha. I had a feeling that you were falling for that girl, so I asked for someone to get rid of her."

"What!"

"He is probably there already."

'_No!'_ Inuyasha thought as he dashed off towards the river.

* * *

"Kagome!" Miroku yelled, shaking her slightly. "Shippo, go find Inuyasha."

"Right!" Shippo squeaked as her turned towards the forest.

"That won't be necessary." Inuyasha said, walking towards the group. He took a few whiffs of the air, trying to pick up unfamiliar scents. _'Whoever Kikyo was talking about must not be here yet.'_

"Inuyasha, Kagome has passed out." Shippo cried.

"Right." Inuyasha said, taking a few more sniffs at the air. He then gathered Kagome into his arms. "Miroku do you sense anything strange nearby."

"Huh? No, why do you ask?"

"To make a long story short, Kikyo says she sent someone to get rid of her."

"What?!" Sango yelled out. "You've got to be kidding me. It's bad enough having to worry about Naraku!" They had reached the hut, but Kaede was nowhere in sight. Shippo ran off to find her.

Inuyasha continued sniffing about, suddenly he noticed the strong scent of Naraku near by. Giving a low growl, he set Kagome down on the floor. "Naraku is near by." _'Could he be the one Kikyo had sent?'_ He ran out of the hut to come face to face with Kagura. Miroku and Sango soon followed, ready for battle.

"I see that you're trying to train the girl." Kagura said with a laugh. "Try all you want. It saves Naraku the trouble."

"You!" Sango yelled out. "Leave Kagome alone!"

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. I've been given direct orders to come and retrieve that girl." Kagura waved her fan, creating strong winds. "If you wish we could fight, but the outcome will be the same."

The battle ensued, but something was amiss. No one seemed to notice the small figure sneaking into the hut.

* * *

Kagome lay on the ground where Inuyasha had left her. Giving a small groan, she opened her eyes. "What happened?" she asked herself, wondering why she was alone in the hut. She heard the yells of Sango outside, along with the eerie voice of Kagura. A sudden fear came over her when she saw a shadow appear at the door. She sensed that Naraku was very near, so she assume the worst and scrambled to the far side of the hut. She wanted to scream, but she couldn't seem to find her voice. The door flap came open and Kagome looked to see who it was. She saw the small form of Shippo, but something just wasn't right. She didn't get the innocent vibes that Shippo usually gave off. "Shippo?"

"Kagome!" Shippo called out running towards her. He jumped into her outstretched arms. "You're alright! Thank the Heavens!"

It sounded like Shippo, and acted like Shippo. It looked like Shippo, but, somehow, Kagome knew that this wasn't Shippo. She set the fox down gently, backing away a few feet.

"What's wrong, Kagome?"

Kagome stayed silent, trying to concentrate her energy. Slowly, a dark aura began to appear before her. "Naraku!" She said accusingly.

The phony Shippo smirked. "So you figured it out. I should've known that I couldn't deceive you that easily." A miasma filled the hut, choking Kagome. "Too bad for you, it's to late."

Kagome couldn't see through the poison gasses. She choked, gagged, and gasped for breath, but the miasma was far too thick. She noticed a faint red glow as Naraku appeared before her. She backed away, hoping she could find her way to the door, but Naraku grabbed her by the arm before she could get too far.

"Let go." She demanded, her voice small and weak. The poison was beginning to get to her. She suddenly felt dizzy, as if the entire room was suddenly upside down. Trying to ignore this, she wrenched her arm out of his grasp and stumbled away. She hurried in the direction she hoped the door was in but bumped into Naraku, who had gotten in her way once again. She took a step back, before her dizziness overcame her. She fell forward into Naraku's arms. She felt so lightheaded. She couldn't fight him off. She let a single tear run down her cheek as Naraku's arms tightened around her._ 'Inuyasha! Help!'_

* * *

"Well my job is complete." Kagura said as she closed her fan.

"What are you talking about?" Miroku said.

"Just look behind you."

They all took a quick glance towards the hut. With a gasp they turned around completely. The hut was shrouded in a thick miasma!

"Oh no!" Sango said in a whisper.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled out, running towards the hut. The gasses suddenly began to whirl and whip around, flinging him away. Inuyasha watched as Naraku slowly appeared in the miasma, holding Kagome in his arms. "Let her go!" He screamed out angrily, rushing towards them with his Tetsusaiga. However, Naraku easily dodged his attack.

"Don't worry." Naraku said teasingly, giving an evil grin. "She'll be much better off with me anyway." With that said, a miasma surrounded him once again, as he disappeared with Kagome.

"No!" Miroku yelled out.

"We have to get her back!" Sango growled out.

Kagura smirked at the group before pulling out her feather. "My work is done."

"Hold it!" Everyone turned to see who yelled that out. All gasped when Kikyo came out from behind the hut. "I told Naraku to kill the girl, not kidnap her. Explain this to me, Kagura."

"So he's the one you was talking about." Inuyasha ground out with great anger in his voice.

"Look, Kikyo." Kagura said, rather irritated. "I don't know what Naraku has planned, nor do I care. I'm just following orders."

"Kikyo!" Inuyasha yelled out. "Why are you doing this?"

"I told you before. That girl has to die," Kikyo spat, "and I will make sure of it." With that she turned, walking towards the direction she thought Naraku had gone.

"Stop, Kikyo!" Inuyasha said running to catch up with her before she could mysteriously disappear as she always did. "You can't do this! Stop!"

* * *

I gotta stop here. I'll try to update soon.


	20. Have to Find Her

School has gotten so annoying lately

School has gotten so annoying lately! The second marking period has just started and I've had 3 projects, Homework from every teacher and about ten bomb threats! I hardly have any time for anything these days. Well, at least I'm finally updating.

_**Kagome's Pain**_

**Chapter 20: **Have to Find Her

"Stop!" Inuyasha yelled, speeding towards Kikyo. It was too late though. She disappeared before he could reach her. "No." He said, silently cursing to himself. He turned to the others. "We've got to find Kagome, and fast."

"Would you be able to pick up a scent?" Miroku asked.

Inuyasha took a few deep breaths. "I can still smell Kagura." He said with slight realization.

"Great! We can follow her right?" Shippo said

"You stay here Shippo." Inuysha commanded.

"But I-"

"Stay."

Shippo gave a rather indignant huff, but agreed to stay behind.

"Let's go!" Inuyasha said running in Kagura's direction.

* * *

Kagome's eye's fluttered open only for her to see darkness. There was a bit of moonlight coming through the shaded window, allowing her to see very little of the room she was in. She lay on a large, plush bed, under satin sheets. She could barely make out a dresser, sitting on the other end of the room, the door not too far off to the left. She tried to sit up but she was attacked by a splitting headache. She flopped back down, giving a small groan of pain and annoyance. Her head was swimming now; the room seemed to be spinning. Her vision began to blur a bit more.

'_Inuyasha?'_ She thought to herself. _'I hope he's alright.'_

"Good, you're awake."

"Go away, Naraku." A sudden pain over took her as Naraku used his spell.

"I suggest that you show some respect. You know how painful my spell can be." He said calmly. He walked up to her, giving a smirk.

"Just leave me alone." Kagome whined, on the brink of tears. "Please."

Naraku simply laughed. "Pathetic." He wrapped his arms around her. "Already at the point of begging." He nuzzled her neck slightly, still chuckling a bit.

Kagome felt so dizzy, not to mention tired. She could hardly think straight. She struggled to get away from Naraku's arms, but fell as soon as her feet touched the ground. She wasn't giving up just yet, though. She started moving towards the door, ignoring Naraku's laughs. She did her best to concentrate her energy in a barrier, as she neared the door.

"You really think you can get away, do you?" Naraku said. He walked towards her, but was roughly pushed back by her barrier. "What?" Naraku glared down at the girl. She had stopped crawling and didn't seem to have the strength to even lift her head, yet she was able to make a barrier strong enough to keep Naraku away. Naraku took note of her weakness, and focused his powers a bit more. This time he broke through the barrier with ease. He grabbed the back of her shirt, pulling her up so he could see her face. Tears ran down her cheeks, her eyes squeezed shut out of fear.

"Let me go." Kagome whimpered out. Of course, he didn't. He wrapped his arms around her and carried her out of the room.

"Looks like you'll be needing a bit of an attitude adjustment, but we'll take care of that later." They came upon a pair of large doors. Once inside the room Naraku threw her onto the small not-so-plush bed sitting on the opposite side of the room. "You will stay here for the night." With that he walked out of the room.

"Creep." Kagome muttered under her breath before drifting into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

"Kagome"

"Hn?"

"Kagome, wake up."

"Hnnm."

SLAP!!

"I said wake up." Naraku said quite menacingly.

"Ow" Kagome whimpered out in pain, rubbing her cheek gently. "What was that for?"

"Let's go." Naraku said, ignoring her question. He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out of bed.

"Where are you taking me?" Kagome said rather tiredly, not really expecting him to answer. Of course, he didn't. Kagome, at the moment, didn't really care. She yawned rather loudly, before she could say anything else, he gave her a rough tug. "Hey!" She tripped, falling clumsily to her knees. Naraku ignored this and continued pulling her through the halls, dragging her along the floor. He finally stopped in the training room.

"Get up." He tossed her a bow and a few arrows. "It's time for some practice."

* * *

Inuyasha sniffed the air around him. '_We're getting close. I can smell the miasma.'_ He took one more whiff and picked up another scent. _'Just great.'_

"Hey Mutt!" Koga ran up next to him. Inuyasha simply kept going.

"Buzz off!"

"Where's Kagome?"

"That's none of your business!"

"She's been captured by Naraku hasn't she?" Inuyasha stayed silent, more focused on Kagura's scent. "I knew it!" Koga yelled. " What kind of weakling are you, letting Naraku get passed you like that!"

"Are you gonna keep yappin' at me, because dealing with you is distracting me from Kagura's scent." Koga gave a small huff, getting the point, and started running ahead. "Don't try to fight Kagura just yet. She's my only lead in order to get to Kagome." Inuyasha yelled forward.

"Whatever!"

* * *

"EEEEEEEEEEK" Kagome flew clear across the room, bashing into the wall. "OW! Why are we training so hard all of a sudden?! Aah!" She screamed as her sword nearly hit her in the face.

"You will learn this technique by the end of this day." Naraku said forcefully.

"I've tried it fifteen times, and fifteen times I got blasted into this wall! Could I at least have a break! We've been at it since dawn!" She paused a bit as her stomach growled rather loudly.

"Fine. One more try, and if you do well enough, you can stop for some food and a short rest." Naraku waited for her to get up and grab her sword. "Now, all you have to do is focus your energy into the sword, just like what you do with the bow and arrows." Naraku prepared one more blast. Kagome set herself up. The blast flew towards her.

"Ok. I can do this." She said to herself. She concentrated as best she could and saw the sword begin to glow. She swung the sword to cut through the blast. BOOOM!!

Dust filled the room, but as it cleared, Kagome could be seen standing, the wall behind her in ruins.

"I……I did it." She said softly to herself. She gave a small laugh before yelling out loud. "I did it!

"Hn. Congratulations. Now that you've gotten it right we'll be working on perfecting the technique, after your break."

Kagome gave a small squeal of joy towards both her break and the fact that she'd learned a new way to use her powers. '_I just have to string along until I get better bearings on this. Then I can escape from here. Oh! Just wait 'till I show this off to Inuyasha!'_ Already she had an escape plan in mind, just in case Inuyasha takes too long to come and rescue her. As she calmed down a little bit, she realized just how tired she was. Her body trembled from the exhaustion as she fell to her knees. She looked towards Naraku who was giving a rather disturbing smirk, before she passed out.

* * *

I'll stop here. Bye for now.


	21. Rescue?

Hi! I'm finally updating! Let me no if you want me to update again by giving me a bunch of reviews, OKAY!

_**Kagome's Pain**_

**Chapter 21**: Rescue?

Kagome gave a small groan as she woke up. She looked around to find she was in one of the bedrooms of Naraku's castle. "Ugh, my head's killing me." She moaned as she slowly crawled out of bed. She walked out of the room hoping to figure out a way out, since this was the first time she didn't wake up to Naraku watching her every move. She made a few turns having no clue where she was. She just kept walking through the empty halls.

"What's the point of having a huge castle when there's hardly anyone to live in it?" She grumbled a bit as she walked through a few more halls.

"Naraku, what is the meaning of this?" She heard an angry voice yell. _'Wait! I know that voice!'_ She walked through the hall to a large plain door. She stealthily snuck up to it and looked through the crack. There stood Kikyo, Naraku standing right in front of her.

"Naraku! I told you to kill the girl."

"I know that."

"Then why is she still alive."

"The girl is quite fascinating. She should prove useful to me?"

"Her? Useful? Don't make me laugh."

"Hmm. Maybe we could have a bit of a compromise Kikyo."

Kikyo paused for a moment. "What did you have in mind?"

By that point Kagome had heard enough. She ran away from the door and through several halls, not caring whether she was lost in this maze of a castle or not. She already knew that Naraku was going to try and use her for something, and that Kikyo wanted to kill her! But to have both of them plotting in the same room is not a good thing. She kept running for some time but something caught her eye. She looked at an open door realizing something.

"No! I'm right back where I started!" She gave a small indignant huff and walked back into the room. Sitting angrily on the bed, she tried to organize a plan of escape. She sensed Naraku walking towards the room, soon afterward. _'That's it! I'm doomed!'_

"Kagome." She heard Naraku's voice at the door. The girl cringed with fear and slowly looked toward him.

"Have you come to kill me like Kikyo wanted?" She said weakly. "I over heard your conversation."

"I assume that this was while you were trying to run away." He said coldly.

Kagome gave a small pause. "Um… yeah."

"That was a waste of energy. You shouldn't go wandering around like that. It'll leave you with less energy for your training." Naraku turned and started to walk away.

"So… you're… not going to kill me?" Kagome said quietly, looking downwards in fear of the being before her. Naraku looked at her with a rather blank expression.

"I have a use for you, but, if your usefulness should run out, you will be killed."

* * *

"I got it!" Inuyasha yelled out to his friends behind him. "I got Kagome's scent. We'll be there in no time!"

"That's good news!" Sango yelled back.

"Hey! Koga!" Koga looked back at Inuyasha. "You can go ahead and take on Kagura! I'll find Kagome!"

"Right!"

* * *

"Stop it!" Kagome yelled out in pain.

Naraku used the power of his spell to bring Kagome to her knees. "Consider this to be your punishment for trying to escape."

"Okay! I get the point! I'm sorry!"

* * *

Inuyasha ran a bit faster.

"Inuyasha? Is something wrong?" Sango yelled from behind him.

"Yeah! Judging by Kagome's scent, she's in a lot of pain!"

"What!" Koga yelled from up ahead. "That's it! I'll take care of Kagura! Don't you worry! You'd better just make sure Kagome's alright, got that Mutt!"

"Whatever!" Inuyasha yelled back rather annoyed, and ran, at full speed, passed Koga and then passed Kagura.

"What!" Kagura seemed quite displeased. "Audacious fool! I'll take care of you!" Kagura prepared to attack, but was struck down by Koga.

"Kagura, your fight is with me!"

* * *

"Please! Stop it!" Kagome yelled out, her voice becoming tired. She lay on her side, her knees brought up to her chest. Her arms wrapped around her abdomen as she let all of her tears flow freely. The agonizing pain jolted throughout her entire body.

Naraku stood staring at her before noticing Inuyasha's presence. "It seems that your little half-breed has come for you." He watched Kagome's expression as he said this, and gave a wicked smirk. "I assume that you'd be continuing your training later on. I suppose I could let your friends take care of that for me, so I'll let you go." With that he left the room.

"Wa….what?" Kagome said with a trembling voice.

"Kagome!" She heard Inuyasha voice near by.

"I….Inuyasha!" She cried out, relieved that he was there now. Although Naraku had left, the spell was still in place. She winced in pain looking towards Inuyasha for comfort.

"Kagome," He said rather quietly picking up on her hint of pain. He quickly set to work, trying to soothe her aching sides. "Tell me what he did to you."

"I….. I made him angry with me." She gave a small laugh. Her light laughter soon became heavy sobs from both the spell and the grief of everything else that happened to her. "Inu…. Inuyasha!" She sobbed. "Ki……Kikyo wanted to…"

"Shhhh… I know about that, Kagome. She told me before, but that doesn't answer my question." Kagome stayed silent, closing her eyes.

"He says he's letting me go. Inuyasha… I'm really tired right now… could we finish this conversation later?"

"Uh… fine I guess."

Kagome smiled at him rather joyfully. "Just so you know… I learned something pretty good while I was here."

"Oh?" Inuyasha said, now quite intrigued. "What was it?"

"You'll see. I'll be showing it off later."

* * *

"You're goin' down. Kagura!" Koga slashed towards her with his claws.

"I don't think so." Kagura stated calmly as she took out her feather and floated away. "See ya."

"Stop!"

"It appears that Naraku has left, so I must go as well." Kagura sent gales of wind around them to keep them from trying to follow her.

"Darn! She got away." Sango said now that all of the lesser demons were destroyed.

"We've got another problem." Miroku said. "Didn't she say that Naraku has left?"

"Oh, no! Your right! What if he took Kagome with him?" Sango began to look quite panicked.

"That's not a problem."

They all turned their heads to see Inuyasha holding an unconscious Kagome in his arms.

Okay! I'm ending it here! Why? I have no clue! I just don't feel like typing anymore. Bye for now!


	22. He Finally Says it

Wow! It's been forever since I've updated! I've been so busy with school and the fact that I'd gotten my first job this passed summer. Well, enough excuses! Let's go!

_**Kagome's Pain**_

**Chapter 22**: He Finally says it

"Kagome…"

"Huh?"

"Kagome…. Kagome…."

"Oh no…" Kagome gave a groan as she recognized this pattern. "Look!" She yelled out. "Just tell me who you are, and why you keep calling me in my dreams!"

"Kagome… Beware…"

"Beware what?!"

"Beware… of…" The voices jumble before she could get her answer, the voices once again grew tortuous, and Kagome covered her ears, falling to her knees.

"Would you please just stop that!" She screamed. She looked over to the side, as a red dim light appeared. As that light grew so did the pain in her sides. She gave another groan and closed her eyes, as she held her sides and began to feel faint.

"Beware…" the strange voices repeated a few more times before disappearing.

"Kagome?"

Kagome let one of her eyes open. She looked around a bit, her eyes still blurry from sleep.

"Hey there sleepy head." Inuyasha said, holding her to his chest.

"Hey yourself" she said with a slight groan, curling up and lightly holding her sides. Inuyasha seemed to notice how she held her sides and moved her hands out of the way so he could massage her sides. She relaxed and snuggled into him, as the pain melted away from her body.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha said, barely above a whisper. "Are you alright? Did Naraku hurt you?"

Kagome shook her head softly. "No…… He didn't really hurt me…" She looked up at him. "He was training me to keep some control over my powers." She went silent for a few moments. "Kikyo was there….."

Inuyasha gasped lightly and stopped his massage on Kagome's ribs for a small instant before setting back to work due to her complaints. "Wha… What did she do?"

"I don't think she noticed me. She was too busy chewing Naraku out for not killing me as she commanded." She paused for a moment and looked away from his eyes. "Afterward Naraku told me that as long as I remain useful he won't kill me."

Inuyasha kept silent, thinking about what Kagome had just told him.

"Inuyasha…"

"yeah…"

"I… I'm scared…" Kagome said as she held on to him as tightly as she could.

Inuyasha stopped his massage and wrapped his arms around her. "Don't be… I'll do my best to protect you… and so will all of the others…. We'll be more careful from now on… We won't fall for anymore of Naraku's traps."

Kagome looked up to him with a rather sad look. "But…. What about Kikyo?"

"After what she's done there is no way I could ever forgive her." Inuyasha said with a deep anger in his voice.

Kagome gasped. "But…"

"Kagome…." Inuyasha took a deep breath. "With all that has happened I've realized and come to terms with some things." He tightened his hold on her. "I've finally realized that Kikyo and I are not in love… nor have we ever been. We were both just so lonely that we just wanted to have someone to at least be miserable with. We could understand each other's pain was all… our relationship was nothing more than that. We had only mistaken it for love."

Kagome stared up at him in shock. '_He…. He didn't love her….?' _

"Well… sure I probably did like her but I didn't love her… and besides… This Kikyo… The one that we have to face now is not the same Kikyo that I had known 50 years ago…"

Kagome stayed where she was contemplating his words. '_Of course! The Kikyo he knew was kind to all and had always thought of herself last… but now……… Is this a dream? Is Inuyasha really telling me all of his feelings now? I… I don't believe it… He's… being so open…'_

Inuyasha watched the astonishment that had shown in her eyes. He could also see conflicting emotions in her facial expressions. She seemed to be confused about how she felt about what he was telling her. He continued.

"The Kikyo I met fifty years ago was kind, selfless, and brave. She had always put herself last to everyone else… but this Kikyo… this… monster… she uses and manipulates demons, including Naraku. She's … harsh. Her voice is cold. She looks like Kikyo, sounds a lot like Kikyo, and even smells almost the same as Kikyo… but… She's not the real Kikyo."

Kagome's eyes widened a bit. "But…" Inuyasha placed a finger against her lip as a silent way to tell her to wait until he was done.

"I've realized that the Kikyo who walks this earth was made using evil powers and was made out of mud and clay for an evil purpose. She's been corrupted. The real Kikyo is and has been dead the entire time… This creature may have a small piece of Kikyo's soul….. well…. actually… it's your soul…. But it's an unnecessary piece that does not contain anything about the personality of neither you nor Kikyo… In other words she's just an evil, empty, copy…"

Kagome stayed where she was, too stunned to even speak at this point. Inuyasha pulled her close into a light embrace. She decided that he was done and found her voice in order to question him.

"So….. you don't… love her?"

"No…"

Kagome stared with slight disbelief. "But you still feel indebted to her, huh?…"

"……No…"

'_B…but.. what is this supposed to mean?…. about us…. Could this mean that he…..'_

As if he sensed what she was secretly wondering, Inuyasha suddenly leaned his head down and placed a small kiss against her lips. The kiss had only lasted but a few seconds and it ended far too soon for Kagome. Kagome stared at him in complete shock.

'_He…..he just……'_

As her mind had finally begun to process what had just happened, she felt tears welling up in her. She gave a small happy cry before hugging him as tightly as she could and sobbing joyful tears into his chest.

* * *

"Well…. It took them long enough." Sango whispered as she watched them from behind the mat door of the hut.

Miroku came up to her. "You're still spying?"

"Shhh." Sango quickly pulled him aside and let him take a look into the hut. Inuyasha and Kagome were in a passionate kiss as tears still streamed down Kagome's face. Once the kiss ended they were wrapped in another embrace.

"Well, it certainly took them long enough." Miroku whispered with a smile. "For a minute there I thought they'd never let out they're feelings.

Sango stood next to him watching the couple. "I'm so happy for them."

* * *

Inuyasha looked down at Kagome, lightly blushing. _'I guess now is as good a time as any.'_ "Kagome…?"

"Yes?" Kagome said lightly as she looked up at him with what Inuyasha decided was the happiest smile he's ever seen on her face.

He hugged her closer and took a deep breath. " I just want to say that I…. I…"

"…yes…?" Kagome looked up at him with anticipation. _'Wow… this is it… he's about to say it!'_

"I… I…" Inuyasha let out a sigh. "I… I love you…" With that he looked her straight into her eyes attempting to read her emotions.

Kagome felt her hearts skip a few beats when he said it. _'He…..He finally said it!'_ Her smile grew wider before she shifted and placed her lips against his. Inuyasha held her tight, returning her kiss. When they broke away from the kiss, Kagome leaned her head on his chest. "I love you too."

* * *

Ok that's it for this chapter. Plz review!


	23. Chapter 23

OMG! It's been years since I've made and updated!!! Looking back, I think I should rewrite a few of my earliest chapters. My story-writing abilities have improved and it's easy to see as you look from the first three chapters to where I am now, don't you think? But Honestly, I don't have the time… I'm shocked that I even picked this dusty old story up again. Amazing what one free weekend will do for you.

_Disclaimer__:_ _Of course I don't own Inuyasha, silly. This is a fanfic!_

Kagome's Pain Chapter 23: Progress

"Hey. Inuyasha?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I wanna go home for a bit…" Kagome sat up and looked at Inuyasha with tired eyes. She yawned a bit, stretching her arms out. "I can still train there and then I won't have quite so many interruptions like with Kikyo."

Inuyasha was silent for a bit. "I guess that's true… but remember… Naraku had found a way through the portal before. (A.N. Check chapter 7) Wouldn't that be putting your family in danger?"

"I thought about that too… I have been learning to work with seals. If I can finish that part of my training today, then I can temporarily seal the well after crossing over. Then, Kaede and Miroku can seal the well on this end."

Inuyasha pondered this for a moment. "Hmm… I guess it wouldn't hurt to try it. Okay, we leave as soon as the training is done."

"Right" Kagome nodded and looked out the window into the dark sky and crescent moon as it began to sink over the horizon. She snuggled into Inuyasha's chest, sighing a bit, somewhat relieved that she may not have to deal with Naraku, or Kikyo for a while.

"It's a bit earlier than usual, but you wanna work on your training a bit now?" Inuyasha said.

"Sure. It won't hurt." She got up and grabbed her bag. "I'll just go change."

* * *

The sun was just rising, causing a dim golden light to shine into the hut. Shippo woke up with a long hard yawn, snuggling into the empty sleeping bag.

"Huh?" Shippo rubbed his sleep-crusted eyes. "Where's Kagome?" He sat up and looked around the room for any sign of her.

"Ow! Hey! That really hurt!" He heard Kagome's voice yell from outside. He stretched and walked tiredly out of the hut to see what the fuss was about. Kagome sat on the ground, rubbing her cheek lightly.

"Come on, Kagome," Inuyasha said as he walked up to help her up. "You gotta learn to take a punch every now and then."

"Yeah, yeah." She sighed. She looked toward the hut and saw the young kitsune. "Mornin' Shippo!" She waved at him happily.

"Good morning. What are you two doing?"

"Training!" Inuyasha answered. "And we're not done yet, Kagome. So focus!"

"Oh, sorry." Kagome laughed a bit. She then took on the fighting stance that Inuyasha had taught her, poised and ready for attack. Inuyasha backed away a bit and took the same stance, patiently waiting for her move. Shippo simply sat so he could watch. Kagome waited for a moment, thinking through a plan of action, before quickly dashing up to Inuyasha, reeling her arm back to punch him with full force. Inuyasha chuckled as he brought his hand up to block her fist. Kagome smiled. Expecting this to happen, she had only put half of her effort into that punch, and as soon as that punch was blocked she dropped down to give a swift kick to his ankles. Inuyasha, however, was too fast for her; he quickly jumped back, avoiding having his feet swept out from under him. Kagome wasn't giving up yet. She quickly rushed at him once again, reeling her arm back for another swift punch, following up, once that punch was blocked, with a quick jab with her other fist, ducking to avoid the one punch that Inuyasha finally swung at her, and then coming up with an uppercut. Inuyasha simply leaned back to avoid the uppercut, and quickly gave Kagome a swift kick in her side. Kagome flew a good couple of feet and hit the ground with a loud thud.

"You gotta keep your guard up. Even when attacking, you should be ready to defend against any counterattack." Inuyasha said all-knowingly.

Kagome sat up, out of breath, holding her side in slight pain. "Right… I'll remember that.

"Alright." Inuyasha said. He took a good look at her to make sure he didn't kick her too hard. "Hey… you're fine. Get up and keep moving." He said. "Try again. Remember, you can't take a break until either you land a blow or truly can't go on."

"Okay." Kagome stood and calmed her breathing. She took on the fighting stance once again. She watched him closely as he took on a defensive stance. _'Okay' _Kagome thought to herself._ 'I've been at this for a while now, but he's been taking it easy on me, so it's hard to say whether I'd ever be able to land a punch on him… He said before to gauge your opponent carefully to find out how to beat him and that no enemy is unbeatable… but how am I supposed to beat this guy?! He's stronger and faster… and he's more versed in fighting styles. I could definitely outsmart him, but he made me promise not to try to trick him like I did before. _(Check Chapter 18)_ How on Earth am I supposed to beat a half-demon at fist fighting! Wait!! That's it!'_ Kagome smirked inwardly, devising a plan of attack.

"Come on, Kagome." Inuyasha barked out. "A real enemy wouldn't wait this long for you to think up a plan!"

"Fine!" Kagome yelled back, rushing at him again, just as she did the last time.

"This again?" Inuyasha laughed out as he blocked her fist and jumped back to avoid her sweeping leg. She rushed him again and he blocked another punch, before swinging at her like he did last time. However, she didn't duck this time. Inuyasha was shocked to say the least, but not as shocked as when he felt a burning sensation on his hand as his blow landed on a barrier. In slight pain her drew his hand back and then felt a swift strike to his left cheek that caused his head to turn to one side. He turned his head foreword to look at the young girl in front of him as a smile crept across his face.

Kagome, still standing in the fighting stance with her fist outstretched toward his face, panting and out of breath, let a daring smirk come across hers. "I got you." She said breathlessly, before finally letting her fist drop and standing normally.

"Yeah." Inuyasha said with a chuckle in his voice. "Impressive… Putting up a small barrier, so I couldn't get through to you, but was still close enough for you to land a blow… smart. Kaede and Miroku would be proud." Kagome smiled happily, her chest swelling slightly with pride.

"So, I did good?"

"Yup. And now you get your break. You made great progress today." He said as he grabbed her hand, pulling her slightly. "Come with me. I wanna show you something."

"Hey!" Shippo, who had just realized they were done, said, running up to them. "Can I come too?"

"No." Inuyasha said sternly. He stood in front of Kagome, then kneeled down to be closer to Shippo's eye-level. "I need you stay here and tell the others that Kagome and I will be back before sunset," he said, giving the young kitsune a look that clearly said _'Don't ask any questions.'_ "Okay?"

Shippo gave an indignant huff. "Oh fine…"With that Inuyasha grabbed Kagome by the hand again and led her off into the woods.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked rather tiredly. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see." Inuyasha responded, sounding somewhat excited, or nervous. He sniffed the air as they went, for about ten to fifteen minutes of their walk, to make sure no one was trying to follow them. "Good. No one's following."

"Huh?" Kagome questioned, as Inuyasha stopped and kneeled in front of her for her to climb onto his back.

"We have a ways to go and it'll be faster if I carried you."

"Well, if that's the case then why didn't you carry me in the first place?"

"To fool Shippo. Since we walked away, he's gonna figure that it can't be too far. That way he won't get too curious, and the others won't worry so much. Now get on."

"Oh" Kagome said as she climbed onto his back. "That makes sense… Just how far is this place?"

"Not too far." Inuyasha said as he began to run, slowly picking up speed. "Just hold on tight okay. I'm gonna be running a bit faster than usual."

"Okay" Kagome said nervously. She gripped him tighter, snuggling into his back. She felt his speed pick up suddenly and she yelped a bit in surprise as he began leaping through the trees. _'Just where is he taking me?'_ She looked around a bit, trying to get her bearings, but everything was going by in a blur. They were going too fast for her to quite see the objects they passed properly. She decided to just snuggle into his back, close her eyes and enjoy the ride. Honestly, she loved being carried like this, but it normally only happened while they rushed to a fight or some kind of tense situation. She pressed her head against his back, listening closely to his heartbeat. The breeze through her hair felt delightful and the rush of being so high above ground and traveling at such speeds outside of a car or such was invigorating.

"Hey, Kagome."

"Yes?"

"You alright back there? I can slow down if you want."

"No way! This is fun!" Kagome laughed out. She looked toward the ground. "Wow, we're up so high!"

"I can go down if you want."

"No way! Can we go higher?"

"Of course!" Inuyasha laughed out as he began ascending as he leaped through the trees. He leaped as close to the treetops as possible, occasionally soaring high above them. Kagome giggled with her excitement and gave a small yelp when he went especially high above the trees, gripping him as tightly as possible. Inuyasha smiled inwardly. _'She's always so happy and carefree,' _Inuyasha thought to himself. _ 'but this is the first time in a while that I've heard her giggle like this. With everything that's happened, she was beginning to seem somewhat depressed.' _He chuckled a bit.

"What's so funny?" Kagome asked, feeling his chuckles through his back.

"Nothing." Inuyasha laughed out. "We're almost there!" After another minute Inuyasha descended quickly to the ground. He kneeled and let Kagome off before holding her hand and pulling her into a light embrace. He seemed somewhat nervous, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. Kagome hugged him back, laughing a little.

"You didn't bring me all this way just to hug me did you?"

"No. I have something really special to show you." He said as he squeezed her to him. He let go of her and began walking ahead. "Come on." They walked for another minute or so before coming up to a large cave. Inuyasha sniffed the air lightly, once again, checking to make sure no one was following. He then walked up to the cave entrance, signaling for Kagome to follow. Kagome walked up to entrance standing next to Inuyasha.

"What's up? You seem a bit tense."

"I'm trying to think of how to get you through the barrier."

"Barrier?"

"Yeah there's a barrier just a few feet into this cave that I know I can pass through, but I don't know about you." Kagome looked up at him, wondering just what kind of place he'd brought her to.

"I might be able to bring it down, if you want."

"No… I don't want it taken down." Inuyasha thought it through for a bit longer, while Kagome stared silently. "Okay," He said decidedly, holding her hand and pulling her close. "Hold on tight. Don't let go of me for even and instant." Kagome gripped him and he wrapped an arm around her as they moved forth. Kagome sensed the barrier as they got closer to it.

"Inuyasha?" She said nervously. "That's a pretty strong barrier…"

"I know. Just hold on." He picked up the pace a bit walking straight into the barrier. Kagome yelped at the sparks of resistance, feeling herself being pushed back. "Hold on!" Inuyasha yelled out, holding her tightly. She gripped him tighter, hugging herself against him, snuggling into him for protection. Slowly, the resistance of the barrier died away. Kagome looked around the cave to see where they were, but there was only pitch-black darkness. "Inuyasha, where are we?" She asked, puzzled.

"You'll see in just a second, we're almost through the barrier." He responded happily. After a few seconds he let go of Kagome. "Wait here a sec." He said, leaving her alone for a moment.

"Okay..." Kagome said, not particularly happy about being left alone in such darkness. It was a bit chilly and dank in there too. It reminded her of those dreams with those voices that had haunted her recently. She heard a crumbling noise, like pebbles falling, then heard a louder noise. A bright light began to pour into the cave as Inuyasha slid the large boulder out of the way. Kagome shielded her eyes a bit stunned by the sudden brightness. She walked up to Inuyasha, feeling the warm breeze that cam from outside. Once her eyes adjusted, she looked out through the new opening. "Wow!"

"I'm guessing you like it." Inuyasha chuckled out.

Kagome took a few steps from the tunnel they had just gone through, looking on at the outstretching field of wildflowers. "It's gorgeous!!" She looked around. They were in a wide valley, with an out stretch of fresh green grass, a beautiful array of wildflowers and a large lake at the center. There was a large home built at the edge of the lake. Kagome giggled. "Inuyasha, what is this place?" She said, her voice trembling with excitement.

"This place…" Inuyasha said with a sad face. "used to be a sort of… safe haven… My mother put up the barrier that surrounds this place." Kagome grew silent, looking at Inuyasha as a somewhat nostalgic expression came across his face. "My mother put this barrier up in an attempt to keep me safe… not too long before she died. She knew that if anything were to happen to her, that I wouldn't have anyone around to protect me anymore, and I was still too young to be able to really protect myself."

Kagome looked around again, marveling at the beauty of the valley. "So… as long as you stayed here, demons couldn't find you… right?"

"Yeah… I stayed here for a long time, only leaving when I needed food, until I felt I was strong enough to handle anything that came my way out there. It's been so long since I've been here." Inuyasha looked nostalgic, reminiscent, as if he saw the past as he looked at the fields.

"Why haven't you been here recently?" Kagome asked walking up to him hugging him, nuzzling her face into the side of his neck.

"Because… it became too painful be here with all of my memories…" Inuyasha said with sorrow clearly hinted in his voice. Kagome looked up at his face. His eyes were distant, glossed over with the threat of tears as he scanned the fields. She felt herself fighting off tears too, imagining what this place must mean to him. She buried her face into the side of his neck, hoping to keep her tears from flowing as she listened to him continue. "We stayed here for most of the time, after the people of our village drove us off. She sometimes went back to the village to buy food, but that was it. Most places refused to sell because they knew she was buying the food to feed me. There were a few who didn't complain though. She often paid them extra for whatever she bought. Sometimes she'd come back with bruises because some of the villagers would throw stones at her when they saw her. She'd come back and fix some of the most amazing meals, and when I would ask her about the bruises and she'd just smile… I had always wished that she would let me go to the village with her, but she knew they'd probably have killed me if I had shown up." Inuyasha sighed, picking Kagome up and carrying her through the fields. She kept her face buried in the nape of his neck, crying softly as she listened. She gripped him tighter.

"Your mother was very brave." She sniffled out. She may have been crying because she felt for him, but she couldn't help but to smile. _' I can't believe he's being so open and sharing his past with me…'_ Inuyasha kept walking until they reached the house by the lake. He set her down on the stairs to the patio and sat next to her. She wrapped her arms around his waist, snuggling into him as she looked out at the lake. She turned and looked at the patio. It was old; some of the wood seemed to be rotting. '_Well, duh. It's been well over fifty years since anyone's been here…'_ She looked at Inuyasha, as he seemed to grow more depressed. He looked out toward the entrance they had passed through, once again with eyes that seemed to be looking into the past.

"One day," he said with a somewhat shaky voice. "She went out to the village to buy food and supplies… As always, I stayed behind. I was supposed to be practicing my reading and writing like she had told me, but I chose to go for a swim in the lake instead. After a while I grew bored and thought it wouldn't hurt to try and go out. I figured that if I ran into any trouble I would be able to make it back here. I snuck off to the village, but never went in… as I came to the edge I heard my mother scream. I saw her running from a group of village men holding swords and throwing stones at her. I started to run towards her, but stopped when she told me to run away. I didn't know what to do; I had wanted to help her. She ran up to me and grabbed me. She practically threw me back in the woods. I hit the ground running. I could hear her behind me, telling me not to look back, to keep going no matter what. I was terrified. I don't think I had ever been so scared in my life. My heart was beating so hard; it was all I could hear after a while. I didn't stop until I had made it to these fields. I turned back toward the entrance and yelled that we had made it… but my mother was nowhere in sight…" He turned his head away from Kagome's gaze, standing and walking toward the lake, looking towards where they had entered the barrier. "I stared at the entrance, expecting her come running up at any moment, but she never did…"

Kagome stood and walked up behind him as he stopped at the lakes edge. He turned his attention toward the center of the lake. Toward the center there was a small island, covered with wildflowers of several colors and types. Some of the flowers look exotic and exquisite. Standing amongst the flowers was a wooden plaque, resembling a tombstone. "Is that…?" Kagome began hesitantly.

"That's where her favorite garden was. The soil on that island was especially rich, and grew the most exotic and beautiful flowers, not to mention some really decent vegetables. I figured that she would like to be buried there…" He hesitated and looked around the grounds again. "Not much has really changed here. I'm surprised." He reached for Kagome's hand and tugged her back towards the house. "Come with me" He led her back up to the house and along the patio careful of where he stepping on the rotting wood. "Watch your step," he said as he led her into the house and down one of the halls toward what looked like the master bedroom. In the room was an old bed, covered in a thick layer of dust and cobwebs and next to it, large desk, just as dusty and dirty, with a dusty old mirror and a few seashell cases and small bottles of what looked like some kind of make-up on it. Inuyasha walked up to the desk and gently picked up one of the larger seashells and dusted it off. He examined it and then handed it to Kagome. "I want you to have this."

Kagome took the case and looked it over. It was a lovely mixture of pink and white and the word "Love" was etched into it in Kanji. She opened the case to find what was basically Feudal Japan's lipstick. It was a gorgeous shade of red, just a bit lighter than the shade of Inuyasha's clothing. "Oh Wow!" Kagome exclaimed as if the beautiful color had taken her breath away.

"It was my mom's favorite…. Or at least she said it was. She only wore it once a year, on my birthday, along with this elegant red and white kimono." Inuyasha chuckled. "She always went on and on about how my old man had told her that the kimono and lip-color made her look like a goddess. I guess she only wore it on my birthday because that was also the day my father died."

Kagome looked at the color longingly before setting it down on the dresser. "Is the kimono here, too?"

"Uhh… sort of… that's the kimono my mom was buried in." Kagome gasped and looked down at her feet. "She died on my seventh birthday"

"I – I'm sorry." Kagome stifled out. She sniffled a bit. "I can only imagine how it must have been for you."

Inuyasha grabbed her and pulled her into a tight embrace, petting the top of her head lightly. "Oh it's okay. I turned out okay. Sure it was hard, but I got through it." He pulled away from her and looked her in the eyes with a slightly saddened smile. "Do you know why I decided to share all of this with you?" Kagome stared up at him and shook her head. "Well I figured it would only make sense for me to tell you since we're together now… And my mom would've wanted me to. Besides, you really wanted to know more about my past, didn't you?" He placed a kiss on her cheek before walking out of the room. "You can explore the house a bit if you want. I wanna go see Mother alone for a little while."

Kagome watched him disappear out the door. "Okay…" She looked around the room one more time before exiting and walking down one of the long halls, looking into each room. She stopped at one room that she assumed was Inuyasha's. She walked in and looked around. There wasn't much to it; a small dusty bed on one end, a wooden desk on the other, with old worn papers, most likely from when he was supposed to be practicing his writing, and a dusty old rubber ball, flattened from old age sat in the far corner. Kagome walked up to the desk and shifted through the old papers. One slipped out from the desk and onto the floor and Kagome gasped when she looked at it. It was an ink drawing that was clearly drawn by a child. Kagome looked at the mother and child, even though it was just a child's scribbling, Kagome couldn't help but note how beautiful the mother looked, while her son who she held in her arms seemed plain and dull. Her long black hair seemed to be flowing about her, her eyes seemed to glisten, her mouth was drawn in a smile, beautifully accented by what must have been that red lipstick that Inuyasha had just given her, and her kimono was elaborate and well detailed… well, as elaborate and detailed as a very young Inuyasha could possibly manage. Then there was the boy… The boy's blank white hair sat almost lifelessly on his head, small furry ears barely poking out from his tresses. His eyes were blank and his clothes held very little detail. To make it worse, the boys mouth was no more than a small thin line on his face. It almost seemed like the boy was never finished and the artist had given up on completing him. Above the mother and child the phrase "Mother and me" was scribbled rather sloppily.

Kagome marveled at the painting. _'Why didn't he ever finish it?'_ As she continued to stare at the painting she began to wonder._ 'Maybe he was working on it for his mom and never got the chance to give it to her… Why does his hair look so lifeless and why did he leave the eyes blank? His mom looks gorgeous, so why didn't he make himself look nice too?'_ As her thoughts wandered she thought back to what he had told her earlier, about the two of them being run out of the village, about his dad's death, and even about what she had already known about his past before that day. _'I guess that would make sense… I guess he let low self-esteem get to him back then…'_ She shook her head to snap herself from her thoughts and rubbed away the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. She grasped the paper firmly as she ran out the room and down the hall and out the door.

"Inuyasha!" she yelled as she looked out toward the small island. Inuyasha was already on his way back to shore. He ran up to her thinking something might be wrong and was a bit shocked when she shoved the old paper into his face. "You did this, right?"

"Oh, yeah… I remember this. I made it for Mother." He answered blankly.

"Why didn't you finish it?"

"Huh? What are you – "

"It's not finished!" She stated firmly as she pushed the paper even closer to his face.

"What does it matter at this point?" He stated as he walked away from her and into the house. "I never even got the chance to give it to her." He walked down the hall and disappeared into his room. He sat at his old desk, staring at the old dusty papers with his handwriting scribbled on them. He looked at them thinking back to the day he had left them. He sighed and looked around the room, not moving as Kagome walked in and sat the drawing on the desk in front of him. She reached into the pocket of her shorts. She finally dug out a small pen and slammed it onto the desk next to the drawing. Inuyasha stared at her blankly as she smiled at him.

"Finish it." She stated happily.

"Wha?"

"I want to see it finished, you did such beautiful work on your mom…" She rested her hands on his shoulders and turned him to face the drawing. "Please?"

He sighed and picked up the pen. "Fine, so what do you want me to do?"

"It's your drawing, only you can decide that."

He chuckled a bit and continued to stare at the drawing. He couldn't think of anything to add to his mother, so he looked at himself in the drawing. He winced as he realized just why she thought the drawing was incomplete. The little boy in the drawing seemed so lifeless, while his mother was vibrant, beautiful… He sighed again, as he took the pen to the old worn paper, adding a few folds and details to the boy's clothing. He continued to stare at the boy. _'There's something missing still…' _He added pupils to the eyes and smiled a bit as the boy came to life. "There that should be fine," he stated as he put the pen down. Kagome leaned over his shoulder and scowled at the drawing.

"You think so?" she asked lightly. When he didn't answer she grabbed the pen. " You mind if I ad something?"

"Go for it" Inuyasha shrugged.

Kagome set to work on the boy's eyes. She added a shine to them and etched in eyebrows above them. She added some detail to his hair, bringing it to life and accented his ears to make them seem a bit larger. "That's much better." She said as she sat back a bit to look at her handy-work. She looked at the boy's mouth and frowned… "Can I give him a smile?"

Inuyasha marveled at the work she'd done. "Is that how you think I looked back then?"

"I wouldn't know," she stated simply as she curled one side of the mouth into the same cocky grin she had come to love. "But I hope you were as adorable then as you are now." She gave him a small kiss on his cheek and set the pen down as she walked out of the room.

* * *

Yeah… I'm gonna end there… I'll try not to let it be another 4 years before I update on this again… Maybe I'll try to figure out how to end this.


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